


Not Me

by simsadventures



Series: Not Me [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Business, Businessmen, CEO, Contracts, Divorce, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Marriage Contracts, Minor Violence, Violence, wife - Freeform, wife reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:35:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 59,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25379254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simsadventures/pseuds/simsadventures
Summary: You look like the perfect and meek wife to the prolific CEO Bucky Barnes. However, behind closed doors, everything is different than it seems, and neither you and Bucky know what or who to believe in anymore.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, ceo bucky/wife reader
Series: Not Me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1837906
Comments: 18
Kudos: 101





	1. Sweet, Sweet Life

The sun was shining through the blinds, and you groaned loudly. Another day in your personal nightmare. You tried to snuggle into the pillows harder, willing your sleep to come again and take you for at least another few hours, so that you wouldn’t have to face the world. And by the world, you meant your husband, James.   
Just the thought of him made a shiver run down your spine, and not the good kind. You didn’t even know how you got to that position. There used to be times when James was all you could think of.   
You were at high school together, buddies, thanks to your fathers owning a publishing company together. You were a freshman, and he was a senior, but that didn’t stop you from spending a lot of time together. You used to piss off your fathers too often for your own good, whenever there was a banquet or some other fancy shit, you and Bucky would always find a way to make it at least a bit enjoyable for the two of you. 

You had each other to hold on to, and that was enough. You both went to a different university, Bucky attending Yale, while you went to Brown. It was during this time that you grew apart, having different goals in life, and life choices as well. But your crush was still strong as ever at that time.   
James had this ability to draw people to them. You could even pinpoint the exact thing that made him so charming because there were so many of them. His eyes, his deep, gruff voice, his physique, which would get any girl to her knees, or his charm. But you knew he wasn’t interested in you that way.   
While you saw Bucky partying every second possible, you were more the studying type. Not that you didn’t have your fair share of wild parties, making you wake up in Canada instead of your home. But you were a passionate reader and student, and so when the crucial times came, you knew how to use your brain. And form what you heard, with Bucky’s party habits, he had to pay somebody to take all his exams. That was the only plausible option in your mind.   
You only saw each other during summers, when you both worked for Barnes&Clark, your fathers’ company. And while Bucky was much more interested in all the sexy secretaries, you were impressed by all it entailed to be a businesswoman. You sat with Mr Barnes and your father in their meetings, they even seemed to listen to you while you spoke about your ideas of new ways of getting books to young people.   
It was close to your graduation that your life turned completely, and, at the time, you thought for the better. 

_There was a knock on your door, and you frowned. It was Thursday evening, and you weren’t expecting anyone. What was even weirder that the person was already in the building, without ringing the bell from the front door. You cautiously went and looked through the peep-hole, only to be utterly surprised.  
You opened the door, a confused frown on your face.   
“Bucky. To what do I owe the pleasure?” You asked him, stepping aside, to let him inside.   
He didn’t say anything, just stepped in and waited for you to take him further inside your apartment. When you led you to the sofa and sat down, you raised your eyebrows, indicating that he really should start explaining what it was he wanted.   
“Look, Y/N. We’ve known each other for a long time, and I’ve been thinking, recently, and I reached a decision in which, I hope, you’ll support me.”   
You still didn’t say anything, not sure where he was going with it. You haven’t heard from him in months, and so it was peculiar as to why he suddenly came knocking on your door.   
Without any other word, he got on his knee and pulled out a white velvet box from his pocket. Your eyes were suddenly the size of a cartoon character, and you were pretty sure they now occupied most of your face.   
“W-what? Bucky are you drunk? Or are you fatally ill? What the hell are you talking about?” You asked him, on the verge of a mental breakdown. This couldn’t be happening. Sure, you liked him and sure, you did try to write Y/N Barnes a few too many times before. But you were both young, 24 and 27 years old, and you sure as hell weren’t ready for marriage.   
“I prioritise doll. I know it sounds crazy, but think about it. I know you have been single for far too long, and you’re never comfortable around any other guy than me. I’ve had my fair share of fun, and now I’m ready to settle down. And with whom better than you? We used to be best friends, and I think you never really grow from that kind of bond. Just think about it, will you?” _

_You were looking in those icy blue eyes, and for a weird reason, you saw the desperation in them and a hint of anger. You couldn’t be too sure, because you haven’t seen him for so long, but he had one thing right. You never really grow out of that bond. You thought he did, but obviously, he was thinking about you as much as you were thinking about him.  
“I’ll need some time, and I think we should spend some time together if you want to marry me, don’t you think?”   
A flash of something you weren’t able to recognise ran through his face, but as soon as it appeared, it was gone, and you weren’t really sure what it was.   
“Sure, can I stay tonight and we can watch a movie, or something, huh?” He asked, without a hint of a smile, and you enthusiastically nodded. After all, this was something you dreamed of quite often, to be completely honest.   
It went like this for a while, you and Bucky spending evenings together, and after one particularly fun evening, full of gin and tonics and tangled sheets, you finally gave him your answer.   
“I will marry you Bucky, if it’s still something you want, I think we could be really good together,” you whispered against his naked chest, laying almost on top of him in your bed. He hummed, patted your shoulder and got up from the bed.   
You looked at him confused, trying to determine if you said something wrong, but he only pulled the velvet box out of the pants that were laying abandoned on the floor and slipped the massive diamond ring on your finger.   
“Good. Now sleep so we can plan the damn thing,” he said in a hushed voice, got dressed, and left you laying on the bed, naked and exhausted from the amazing sex you just had, confused as hell. _

And that’s how your marriage pretty much started. Despite Bucky leaving that day, you were pretty excited about the whole ordeal, and so was your and Bucky’s family. The only unexcited party seemed to be Bucky, but you thought it was just his face, nothing serious.   
But after a year of marriage, you realised that it probably wasn’t just his face. When he was around his Uni friends or his colleagues, his demeanour changed drastically.   
He was joyful and funny, and always the life of the party. But when you two were alone, he was brooding and looked pissed 99% of the time.   
You thought you’d have everything you ever wished for. Happy family, amazing husband, and a dream job. But things aren’t always the way we want them.   
Your amazing husband rarely ever spoke to you, and when he did, it was to point out a flaw on you.   
You shouldn’t talk so loudly. Your language isn’t lady-like. I don’t like it when you wear sweatpants, I think you should look nice even at home. This steak isn’t medium-rare. This make-up is too much. Stand and be pretty. Blah blah blah.   
You tried to do all he said, trying to be the best wife for him, because you still had the idea of Bucky loving you, and wanting to spend his life with you. But every sentence like this created a gash in your heart, and by the first anniversary, you thought your heart was just a shredded piece of muscle, unable to function any more.   
What broke you down to your knees, was, however, a different kind of message, delivered to you by Bucky and your father. 

_“James will lead the company, he has most of the rights to Barnes &Clark, and we think it would be great if you were a stay-at-home wife like you were supposed to be from the very beginning. Look, Y/N, you are a woman, and those shouldn’t be heads of the company. You understand that, don’t you?”   
You were in total and complete shock. He trained you your whole life, to be the CEO, or at least the head of the publishing, while somebody else would take care of the numbers. But now he was telling you that your dream was vanishing right in front of your eyes.   
“But, but, dad, I thought you-“   
“How about you stop thinking and just be a pretty thing, sweetie?” Your father asked you mockingly, and to your utter surprise, Bucky laughed as well, patting your father’s shoulder.   
You wanted to run away in tears, because every time you tried to speak up, either your father or Bucky would shush you. By the time the meeting ended, your eyes were filled with tears, but you didn’t want either of the men seeing this weak side of yours.   
When you left the company’s building with Bucky by your side, you were shaking with both sadness and anger.   
“Are you seriously with him on that, Bucky?” You asked, desperation evident in your voice. But the look Bucky gave you made you regret that you even asked him anything.   
“Of course, I agree with him. You have to take care of our household, and not be busy with business. Oh, and, by the way, I would prefer it if you called me James, from now on.”   
It felt like he pushed a dagger deep inside your guts. He let everyone call him Bucky, he would always say that it just felt better when the people around him called him Bucky. And now he wanted you, his wife, to call him James?_

You sighed again and sat up in your bed. Ever since you moved in, you had separate bedrooms, James telling you he needed his rest to run the company. And even if you wanted to protest in the very beginning, you gave up. Like on many things in your life at the moment.   
You used to have dreams, you used to be ambitious, but this life took everything from you. You rarely ever had sex with James- he would always tell you how tired he was and that you should be tired as well. And if you weren’t, it meant you weren’t doing enough through the day.   
You learned how to cook, how to bake, how to sew, how to have the perfect garden, but it still wasn’t impressive enough for James to spare a kind word for you.   
And neither did you father. He would always only remind you to be a good wife to James and to leave the rest to the men, and by your first anniversary, you believed all of those things, your self-respect pretty much non-existing.   
You got up from the bed and headed towards the closet, to put on something representative to not give James any reason to pester you. You took a quick shower and put on some make-up, knowing full well that James was against the natural beauty look. You put on high-waisted wide pants and a blouse, trying no to look too shabby even if you were only going down to the kitchen to make James a breakfast.   
When you came into the kitchen, he was already there, sitting by the table, reading news on his phone. He didn’t even spare you a look, and you sighed, walking towards the kitchen isle. It would be just another day in your hell, and you couldn’t do anything about it. Or, at least, you thought you couldn’t.


	2. Domestic Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You throw a party at your house, and while on the outside you look like the perfect couple, the reality is quite different. Especially after you learn about another shocking truth. But Bucky seems to be shocked as well.

You looked at yourself in the mirror and sighed. Where there used to be a happy, confident woman, was now standing an unsure being without shape or form. You always loved the way your boobs looked, having been one of the lucky girls to have their breasts just the right size and shape without undergoing surgery. But since you lost more than 20 pounds over the last year, your boobs all but disappeared.   
So did the glow your skin used to have once. You were dull now, and if it weren’t for your hairdresser who tried to keep your hair shiny and healthy-looking, you bet you would like a walking dead. But no matter how much weight you lost, James didn’t seem to care.   
It was pathetic to even try in the first place, because he would always mumble something like you’re not gonna get me, and would walk away, leaving you confused and hurt. You thought that maybe he thought you weren’t representative enough for him, so you tried to lose weight. But nothing happened because you were just the right amount of weight.   
It came only with the constant heartbreak that you finally lost your appetite, and the pounds started to disappear from the scale.   
You shrugged in the mirror and applied another layer of red lipstick to your lips and plastered a fake smile on your face. This would be a long night, you thought to yourself, as you descended the stairs leading to your formal room, aka the torture room, as you liked to call it. 

It was there that most of the parties and meeting happened, and because it was your turn to host one of the Y/L/N family parties, you couldn’t even protest. Your whole family would be there, and so was James’.   
After what your father told you that day, and the way he’s been acting towards you ever since then, you weren’t looking forward to seeing him. Nevertheless, you couldn’t wait to see two of your three brothers. Not that you wouldn’t see them almost every month, it being your only outlet and your flight towards safety, but their faces and goofy acts always made you smile.  
When you saw your oldest brother, Max, you actually smiled at him, and you had to tell yourself not to rush too fast towards him, because it would actually look like you weren’t happy in your current position. The hostess of the party. Ugh!   
You made sure that the caterers brought everything they should and that your home decorator came soon in the morning to put things in their places, but other than that, you couldn’t care less. It was just for a show, just like every other aspect of your life, apparently.   
Max waved at you, and you came close enough to squeeze his hand affectionately. He looked you up and down and frowned, but didn’t say anything, being the polite one of the four of you. You wanted to say something, but then you felt somebody hauling you up from your feet and you screamed, not being able to contain yourself.   
When you heard a huron laugh from behind you, you let out a chuckle and tapped his hand, signalling that he should let you down. It was the other brother, two years older than you, Thomas. 

While Max was a cardio surgeon, Thomas was in the Army. He only recently got sent home from Afghanistan, and you couldn’t get enough of him, missing him like crazy over the past 7 months while he was on a mission.   
“I swear to God, you’re lighter and lighter every time I see you, cheerio! You’re almost translucent, what the fuck is going on, huh?”   
You just shook your head and put your fake smile on to calm him down so that he wouldn’t make a scene. Your father and James would eat you alive if somebody caused a scene and you wouldn’t be able to shush them appropriately.   
“It’s this new diet I’m on, Tom! I thought I looked marvellous so thank you for bursting my little bubble,” you said playfully, hoping that neither of your brothers would see through you. But who were you kidding? You grew up with them, and you were their little sister, of course, they wouldn’t trust you just like that.   
They both exchanged looks that said, right but didn’t press the matter for which you were extremely thankful. You looked around the room to see where your husband was, trying to keep up the appearances at least for a while, but you couldn’t find him anywhere. You shrugged and hoped he’d come as soon as possible, because you could see your father’s prying eyes on you, and you didn’t want to give him another reason to scold you. 

To get your mind off of things, you looked for your nieces and nephews, Max’s children, so that nobody would ask you unnecessary questions and you could enjoy some time with your family before you had to go and speak with your father. You couldn’t find your mom anywhere, and you could bet she was outside having a cigarette, or 10. It was her outlet in this crazy world, and although you used to give her lectures, you totally got why she started this horrible habit. It even crossed your own mind a few times.   
The little ones were having fun on the veranda, and after you greeted their mother, Felicia, you sat on your heels to let the little ones tell you all they needed.   
“And auntie Y/N, why is grass green?” “Y/N, I have a boyfriend, his name is Joshua!”   
You listened to the 4-year old asking question over his sister’s telling you about her kindergarten’s love, and you smiled to yourself. You loved the two of them, just as much as you loved the two babes in Felicia’s arms. One-year-old twins. Four children were apparently a lot to take in and to take care of, but Felicia was a pro, and you admired her for her patience with your brother because he sometimes acted worse than those kids. 

“Shouldn’t you be in there, entertaining your guests with your husband?” You heard your father’s stern voice from behind you, and the hair on your neck stood up. You clenched your jaw, gave Felicia an apologetic smile and went back inside, without as much as looking at your father.   
He didn’t like that too much, so he grabbed you by your upper arm, squeezing so much you could feel the blood draining from the limb.   
“Don’t you give me this treatment, young lady. How about you put a smile on that pretty face of yours and stop being so sour, huh? Wouldn’t kill you to be pleasant for a day!”   
You blinked away the tears welling in your eyes, nodded absentmindedly, which made him release your arm. You looked around the room once more, looking for James, when you saw him leaving one of the guest rooms on the floor ground. You sighed and put on a smile, which fell as soon as you saw another person leaving the room behind James. Her red hair seemed to be the only thing you saw, and you had to try really hard not to vomit at the sight.  
It was one of your bridesmaids and great friends (sure), Natasha. They both looked like they either went through a tornado or they fucked each other’s souls out, and your heart fell.  
Not only was he making your life a living hell, but he also fucked one of your friends? That was just perfect. You knew that if you saw him, you weren’t the only one, and sure enough, your father made his presence known again.

“You can’t even keep a man? Pf, I thought at least that pussy of yours was for something, but I guess I was wrong,” he said mockingly and left you standing there, feeling like you stood under a cold shower.   
James turned around the room, greeted a few people he missed due to his escapades before his eyes landed on you. You wanted to yell at him, wanted to throw stuff at him for doing this to you. Why he married you in the first place, you didn’t understand. You didn’t give him even a small smile as you walked towards him, and, for a second, he looked like a deer caught in headlights. That soon passed, and his typical scowl replaced the shock on his face.   
When you reached him, and he snaked his arm your waist (which cause you to shudder in disgust, to be quite frank), you leaned in, and with a smile for the other guests of the party, you whispered to his ear,   
“You could have at least each left the room in a different time. And you could have made sure you didn’t look like you just fucked one of my best friends, but maybe that’s just me, dear,” you hissed the last part of the sentence as you looked deep into his eyes and without as much as another thought left him standing there, and went to your brothers again.   
Not that you wanted to talk to them about it, but you saw the looks on their faces, and you knew they saw the whole thing, from Bucky leaving the room with Natasha to you talking to him. And the looks on their faces were very close to two people ready to murder somebody, so you tried to go and calm them both down. You were just lucky your twin, Adam, wasn’t there, because he would definitely have already acted. And it wouldn’t be nice considering he was an MMA fighter.   
“Is he fucking kidding me? I’m going to kill him, Y/N. Like seriously, it will take me one good measured punch, and he’s down,” Tom said, seething, and you patted his shoulder, keeping your fake smile on your lips. 

“Don’t. Please, Tom, Max. Suits me for thinking he could actually love me. Let’s just forget about it and act as if nothing happened, can we?”   
“Is that the reason you looked the way you do? For fuck’s sake, Y/N. That idiot’s been killing you for over a year, and now he’ll sleep with your friend, to top it all? Has he been beating you too? That why you have the forming bruise on your arm?” Max asked, his temper showing as well.   
You looked down to your bare arm and saw that Max was right indeed. There was a bruise already kind of blue from where your father grabbed you minutes ago.   
“It’s not like that, I promise. James hasn’t laid his arms on me, I swear. It’s from a pleasant conversation I had with dad a while ago,” you added, knowing that there was nothing your brothers could do about your despotic father.   
They were both red from anger, and you didn’t blame them. If somebody treated your brothers the way James treated you, you’d probably tear them to pieces. Or, at least, the old you would. You didn’t know yourself anymore. This meek wife, trying to do as her father and her husband tell her. You were disgusted by yourself but couldn’t see a way out.   
Somebody touched your arm, and from the surprised looks on your brothers’ faces, you knew exactly who it was. The fucking audacity of that woman.   
“Natasha, to what do I owe the pleasure?” You asked her, so mockingly, you were actually surprised at yourself.   
She looked taken aback, but she still laughed freely. 

“What? Can’t I come and as hi to my dear friend?”   
It was your turn to laugh in her face.   
“Aaah. So I guess that’s what you’ve been doing in one of my guest rooms with my husband, then? Saying hi to him? You guys have some special secret handshake? Or did you fuck him after you exchanged pleasantries?”   
She looked terrified, and before you could say more, or before she could start stuttering some lame excuse, you felt a hand on your hip, and from the unpleasant reaction of your body, you knew it was your husband. This was hilarious. His wife and mistress talking, and he just casually strode in.  
“May I speak with you, Y/N?” James hissed into your ear, and you stabbed Natasha one last time with your eyes before you let James pull you away from the party into the kitchen.   
You couldn’t even look at him, you thought you’d vomit if you did.   
“What the fuck is your problem, huh? You’ve got everything you wanted, the house, the marriage, the prestige, everything. What more do you want from me?” He said, raising his voice, and you finally turned around to face him, your brows furrowed in disbelief.   
“What? What are you talking about, James? You think I asked for any of this? For the hell my life is right now? Oh so great, I’m married to one of the sexiest CEO on the planet, good for me. But guess, what. I never asked for any of this. All I wanted was to take over the publishing part of the company, live in my little apartment, and maybe, maybe fall in love one day with a nice guy who would treat me right. 

Did I think it could be you, for a while? Sure, but don’t worry. I don’t anymore. You asked me to marry you. I don’t know what you’re playing at, but at least I try to make this marriage work and don’t go fucking your best friends behind your back. But I guess I ask too much of you, don’t I? Well, excuse me, your excellence. I did everything you told me to. I stopped speaking up, I started cooking like crazy, wearing make-up all the damn time, wearing clothes like I was part of the Gossip Girl extras, just because you told me to. But I will never be good enough for you, will I? I don’t know what you want from me, James, I really don’t, but if we don’t go back to the party now, people will start asking questions we don’t have answers to,” you said, fighting the tears threatening to leave your eyes.   
Bucky was watching your, his expression somewhere between surprise and anger. He looked at you, obviously wanting to continue fighting with you before something caught his attention. 

“What the fuck is that on your arm?”  
You scoffed and walked around him to leave the kitchen.   
“Oh, now you care? Please, give me a break. I don’t know what your motives were to marry me if you wanted the whole company to yourself and had a deal with my father or something, but please, stop acting like you are the worried husband, ok? Let’s just get this party over with, and then you won’t have to look at me for weeks, just the way you like it,” you said with a fake smile (Bucky knew that much, that was definitely not a real smile of yours), and left the kitchen, not caring if he followed you or not.   
He just stood there, confused and with more questions than with how many he initially came into the kitchen.


	3. Lies, Lies, Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You withdraw from Bucky even more, even though you’ve fallen sick. Bucky starts to realise that maybe not everything he thought about you was true.

You knew when you woke up that something wasn’t right with your body. It was the morning after the party, and while it felt good to finally speak up, your body obviously didn’t take it that well. Your muscles hurt, your head was pounding, and there was cold sweat on your skin. Overall, you felt like you were dying.   
Rationally, of course, you knew that it was most probably just the flu, and that all you needed was a few days of peace and calm, lot of fluids and some nasal spray to help your sinuses when the time came. But the non-rational part of you, the one that was dominating at that moment, was telling you that these were your last minute of Earth.   
You turned around in the bed, and when you tried to get up, leaving the blanket aside, a massive cold set in your bones, sending chills down your spine and making your whole body shiver uncontrollably. You groaned out loud and quickly grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around your body like a cocoon.   
In the whole year in your perfect marriage, you have never been sick. And you were glad for it because you knew that James would rather cut his own arm than to help you. So you sighed heavily and tried to think of a way to survive this without no help at all. You didn’t even have enough groceries to at least cook yourself some basic soup to help you. And there was no way in hell you’d ask James for anything. 

You slowly walked down to the kitchen, trying to listen for any noises signalling that James was at home, but when you couldn’t hear anything, you let your worries go and just shuffled to the kitchen to make yourself a hot tea and grab a thermometer.   
To your utter surprise, however, the kitchen was not empty. James was sitting on a stool facing away from you. You knew he could hear you from the way his shoulders tensed, but for a while, he didn’t make a comment about you being later than usual. But of course, he couldn’t pass the chance for long.   
“I thought you were dead,” he mumbled into his phone, still not looking at you. You wanted to roll your eyes, but even that little movement made it feel like your head was gonna burst, so you deprived yourself of your biggest fun, rolling your eyes, and just remained quiet, trying to get to the kettle.   
Bucky waited for a signal that you heard his comment, but when he heard nothing, he finally looked at you, only to almost choke on his coffee. In the year, he got used to seeing you in perfect clothes and perfect make-up every day, because both he and your father have told you that it was a suitable way. Bucky just wanted to make you suffer as much as you made him suffer, and that’s why when your father insisted on all that shit, Bucky agreed with him.   
But now, there you were, your hair a mess, your eyes watery and your whole body wrapped in your blanket. You literally looked like dying, and for a brief second, Bucky actually sympathised with you. But then he remembered who he sympathised with and everything went back to normal.   
He just watched you move slowly towards the kettle, and when you finally set in on the stove, a relieved sigh escaped your mouth. Bucky could then see you shiver violently, and when he looked at your feet, he found out you were barefoot. 

He contemplated for a second if this was another one of your games or if you were actually sick, but the loud sneeze coming out of you assured him that, indeed, you were ill. Probably for the first time in a long time, judging from the looks of you.   
It was probably only because of your yelling at him last night in the kitchen that he even considered helping you. He was as confused as the previous night because you seemed genuinely pissed and hurt. And he didn’t think even an Oscar-winning actress could pull off showing emotions the way you did last night.   
He slowly rose from his barstool and walked towards you.   
“Go sit, and keep your feet warm. I’ll bring you the tea,” he muttered, and from the shocked expression on your face, his behaviour wasn’t one you expected. Well, he didn’t expect it either, but he couldn’t watch you standing there, barefoot on the cold tiles of your kitchen, shivering like a madman.   
When you didn’t move, he said a little more gruffly, “Y/N, sit!” And there was only a tiny part of you that had the energy to fight him.   
You didn’t know what he was playing at, or if he wanted to poison your tea or something, but you didn’t want to try your luck. Your feet were too cold for you to protest, and so you slowly shuffled towards the living room, snuggling under another blanket and pushing your feet between the plush cushion of the sofa.   
It only took a few more minutes before James appeared in the room, a tray in his hands on top of which was a cup of your favourite tea, sliced orange, and some medicine for headaches and a salve to help your painful muscles. How Bucky knew precisely what you needed was beyond you, but you weren’t about to pass this opportunity.   
You took the tray from him with a soft thank you, which he only nodded to and left the room promptly.   
You stared at the tray in your hands, not really knowing what to do or how to act. You wouldn’t dare to be hopeful that he finally realised just how bad he has been treating this whole time. No, there must be something else behind his sudden change of behaviour. And, anyway, maybe he forgot how he acted this howl time, was nice for a second and everything would turn back to the old hateful situation once he realised what he’s done. Well, you weren’t about to complain. Not in the state you were currently in.   
—-

Bucky had to go to his room. He couldn’t be near you. Not when he didn’t know what the hell was happening. Maybe you really weren’t sick, and this was a test, but he did the right thing, right? There was no way you would hurt him after he acted nicely to you. Well, you haven’t hurt him yet, but he knew you had the ability to, and he wasn’t in the mood to question you about it.   
He picked up the phone and dialled his sister’s number. He missed Becca terribly, and he hoped she was doing fine in the facility.   
She picked up, and he heard her tired voice. He had to smile to himself, because a tired voice was much better than the one he used to hear even a few months ago; drugged out, zoned out, and so unlike his sister, it physically pained him whenever he heard her in that state.   
But she was clean now, trying to get back in track, and Bucky thanked whatever god was listening for not letting his sister pay too harshly for her youthful mistakes.   
“Hey big bro, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Rebecca said through the phone, and although Bucky couldn’t see her, he knew for a fact she was smiling.   
He chuckled and shook his head. 

“You’re acting as if this was the first time I called you, little shit. How are you doing, Beccs?”   
“Don’t worry about me, Buck. I’m perfectly fine. This programme is really good, and I feel so much better than even three months ago. Although there is one setback. The coffee here? Disgusting! Can’t wait till I’m out so I can have a civilised cup of Brazilian coffee. Is it too much to ask to have a decent caffeine drink? Don’t fucking think so! Anyway, how’s married life going?” She piped, and Bucky rolled his eyes.   
Becca knew all about his situation, and still, she asked him about the married life.   
“Very much the same, Beccs. Although a weird thing happened last night. We had a party here, you know, both our families and shit, and I wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. But I and Y/N got into a little fight, and for the first time, she actually talked to me and didn’t turn around leaving like she usually does.   
And she said the weirdest things! She told me that she hoped this would work and how this is literal hell for her, and, you know what? I believed her. Like she didn’t look like a person orchestrating this whole thing! And there was a huge bruise forming on her arm as if somebody grabbed her too harshly and she laughed at my face telling me to mind my own business like I always do anyway. And I’m so fucking confused and frustrated right now! If I didn’t know what I know, I’d actually think that she isn’t behind anything and she genuinely wanted to marry me, you know? 

But like… ugh. I don’t know. And she is sick today, and she looks like dying, so I made her a cup of tea without even thinking too much about it, and when she smiled thankfully at me, she looked like my old Y/N, you know? And it’s just, weird. I can’t fall for her charms again, I know, but I… I don’t know what to do, Beccs,” Bucky finished, fighting the tears in his eyes. He was tired of always fighting who used to be his best friend, and feeling like the whole world was against him.   
His sister was quite the whole time of his monologue, listening intently, her heart squeezing for the pain evident in her brother’s voice.   
“I don’t know, Buck. I really don’t, but I always told you that Y/N doesn’t seem like an evil mastermind. Do what I told you to do from the beginning. Look into it, secretly. Won’t hurt anybody when nobody’s gonna find out what you’ve been doing, right? You don’t have to worry about me anymore, so do your thing, and find out the truth,” Rebecca added, and Bucky nodded knowing his sister was right.   
“Thanks, Beccs. I love you so much, and I seriously can’t wait till you’re back home. You can stay here with me when they discharge you, and I’ll buy you the best coffee on the market, promise!”   
She laughed, and they talked for a little while, about everything and nothing, both just being glad they heard their siblings. Despite Rebecca’s drug problem in recent years, they never grew apart, and they both cherished their relationship.   
—-

You wanted to read a book, but the second you opened it, your eyes felt heavy, and the book suddenly felt all too heavy in your weak arms. The hot tea made you feel good, but when you looked at the thermometer, it showed 102°F (39°C), and you groaned falling back on the plush sofa.   
No wonder you were feeling like shit when your whole system was overheating. And, to be honest, Bucky’s weird behaviour didn’t really help. All you could ever since he brought you the tea was to think of his motives.   
Maybe it was a new technique of his. Making you trust him again before crushing you once and for all. But you wouldn’t let him do that to you. He withdrew all hope from your system when he started to treat you like shit after your wedding, and you wouldn’t be stupid enough to give him your heart and trust once again.   
Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard your phone vibrating from somewhere underneath you.   
You gathered all your remaining strength and got up, looking for the phone which ended up behind one of the pillows. When you looked at the caller, you gulped.   
Your father. 

You sniffled and cleared your throat, hoping you’d sound healthy and happy. You didn’t want to give him another reason to yell at you, or worse.   
“Good morning, father. How can I help you?” you asked as sweetly as you could manage.   
“You sound like shit. Drank too much last night, didn’t you? Ha! Funny how you can’t do anything right. Just wanted to make sure you were still married after the fiasco that was last night’s party,” he said slyly, and you could imagine his face perfectly, a smug grin plastered on his stupid face, the evil glint in his eyes.   
“Still married, you don’t have to worry. Is that all or do you want to find another reason to yell at me?” You asked ironically.   
He huffed out through the speaker. “I don’t have to look far, sweetheart. But no, nothing else today. Hope you don’t bring shame to this family by your reckless behaviour,” he said grimly and hung up on you.   
You shook your head, unable to even make a mental comment about his behaviour before you sank back on the sofa, closing your eyes immediately, feeling your body’s exhaustion taking over your senses, the sickness lulling you to a healing sleep.   
—-

 _“Still married, you don’t have to worry. Is that all or do you want to find another reason to yell at me?”_  
Bucky heard you say, and he stopped in his track. He wanted to make sure you didn’t actually die on him when he heard you talking on the phone. He had no idea who you spoke to, but from your tone, it wasn’t a friendly conversation. And who was the person wanting to yell at you, or even asking if you were still married?   
Bucky was listening to hear if he’d hear you say anything else, but he only heard your sigh and the sound of you shuffling under the blankets. He didn’t want to look like he was snooping, so he went to the kitchen, taking a gulp out of his favourite orange juice before he went back to the living room.   
He was determined to ask you who you talked to, but when he came and looked at the couch, he could feel his heart fluttering.   
You were fast asleep, snuggled in the two blankets, looking like a bear in winter, and Bucky had to smile at the sight. You really did look like his old Y/N, the girl he used to be in love with, a long time ago. You looked so innocent lying there, that Bucky couldn’t believe you were able to do all those monstrosities.   
Bucky set his jaw and made a mental note that he’d find out the truth, one way or the other. Because he felt like somebody was telling him lies, he just didn’t know who. Yet.


	4. More of This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally have enough, and do the thing that you feel like will help you take matters into your own hands. In the meantime, Bucky is finding out things he never knew would be true, and some new issues appear.

A week went by before you were able to function as usual. You and Bucky didn’t share any more moments at home, like the first day of your sickness, and, as a matter of fact, you didn’t even see him that much that week. You assumed he was at work, or at one of his bitches’ place. And you didn’t even care anymore. All you cared about was to finally do something for yourself. You’ve had enough of the abuse your father and Bucky put you through, and you were ready to free yourself.   
You still wanted to work at Barnes & Clark, because it was something you’ve always wanted to do, but you knew you would have to give it time before it was even a possibility. So the first logical step was to find a place on your own. You didn’t want to share a living space with James anymore.   
And although you haven’t work for some time, you also didn’t spend your own money during the marriage, so you could rent a place on your own without further issues. You knew you would be able to afford only about 6 months of life without a job alone in an apartment in New York, but you were also confident that with your background it couldn’t be that difficult to find another job if Barnes & Clark weren’t an option anymore. 

You came across a studio in Brooklyn, and although the location wasn’t the greatest, the apartment itself looked cosy and warm, something you couldn’t say about your current house. You got in touch with the real estate agent, and when she showed it to you, you fell in love with it.   
The whole process only took another week, and so it only took around two weeks after the house party for you to start doing your own thing. Bucky was still nowhere to be found, and if you heard him coming home, you scurried to your own room, not really having the energy to fake smiles in front of him anymore. Not when you had such a great plan on your mind.   
Your father tried to reach during all that time, but you didn’t want to listen to him anymore. You only picked it up two more times, to listen to him scold you for something he remembered about the party, and whenever he’d ask about you and James, you would say that everything was perfect and that you resolved the issues, naturally, and you were a good wife once again. Just like he liked.  
You wanted to tell James, just for the old-time sakes. To tell him that you couldn’t do this anymore and that you wanted a divorce, and that you were moving out. But he was nowhere to be found, and he didn’t pick up his phone. You wanted to be worried, and you would if he didn’t do that for the last 12 months- ignoring you every way he could. So you just sighed and picked up the last boxes on the floor, and marched out of the house, ready to start a new chapter in your life.   
—-

Bucky was exhausted. Between doing his normal job, trying to keep the company up and running even in the darker times for the economy, and trying to find any evidence that you were either behind or not involved in the things going on in his life, there was very little me-time he was getting. He rarely even came back home, he would just stay in his office where he used his sofa as a provisional bed. And it showed on his back which was hurting like the devil himself. But he knew he couldn’t stop now.   
There were things that needed his attention more than himself. He could get a good sleep when this was all over, one way or another.   
Bucky had a board meeting that day, and he honestly couldn’t imagine worse days than that. Board meetings were not only dull as fuck, but Bucky also hated to explain himself for the decisions he made. He knew he made them with the company’s best interest in mind, and even though they sometimes didn’t go as planned, Bucky would all make them again, if he had the chance.   
When he came into the room, the board was already there. The board consisted of a few investors that have been with the company for years now, the director of the sales who was there more as moral support to Bucky and then his and your fathers. Even though they were both retired by now, they still held onto some percentage of the interests of the company, and so they were always there at the meetings.   
At first, Bucky thought they were there to make sure that Bucky wasn’t doing anything stupid and that he was keeping everything in line. But the more time passed, the more Bucky started to notice that some questions and some ideas coming from your fathers weren’t as straight as Bucky would have wished. But he always ignored it, thinking the dads were just giving him a hard time in those meetings for the sake of it. 

The meeting was mostly all about a potential deal they could strike with a Japanese publisher, that would help them distribute their books in Asia as well. Bucky saw it as a huge opportunity and was all in, but the longer the conversations went, the more obvious it was that the fathers weren’t too excited about it.   
“We could publish them ourselves. All it takes is for you to grow a pair and decide that we build a publishing house there as well. What are you afraid of, son?” Mr Barnes asked Bucky, who was staring at him as if he just fell out of the sky.   
“Because that would take too many resources and we cannot be sure we would do well there. Wouldn’t it be better if we signed a short-term deal with this buyer, we would see how it’d go over there, and if the profits were as great as you think they will, we could do all that? I don’t see a fucking point in building something so fucking expensive when we don’t know if it works or not,” Bucky hissed, clenching his fists under the table.   
“Alright, let’s vote, if that’s what you want, son,” your father said with an amused smirk.   
Bucky didn’t see the point, and he also didn’t get why suddenly, there had to be a vote. Until now, there was no voting in the board meetings. They would sinus the best approach, agree on something and move on. But voting? That was a first.

  
“Fine, whatever,” Bucky said tightly and waited. People around the room raised their hands in favour of Bucky’s idea, because, just as Bucky thought, it was the more logical one. But when he looked at the fathers in front of him, he could see that their smirks were still plastered on their faces.   
“We don’t do this gladly, but we veto your vote, son. We truly believe that you shouldn’t be so coward-like and do something bold, accept the consequences and just, do something,” Mr Barnes said, and gasps could be heard from all around the room.   
“You what? I’m the fucking CEO if I remember correctly. The majority is on my side, you can’t just waltz in here and veto something all of us agree on.”   
“Oh, but we can. Haven’t you read the entire contract you signed when we gave you the company? We don’t want to do it, but we still built this company from scratch. And so when we think that you’re leading it to certain death, we step in. And that’s exactly what we just did. We’ll let you think about it, and we meet again next week and see if you all gained some perspective,” your father said, and with that, they both stood up and walked out of the door.   
Bucky was staring at their backs, trying to find the right words for what just happened. Not only did he not see the clause in the contract, but he also didn’t see them using it to undermine him in front of everyone. To say he was seething would be the understatement of the century. He let the people in the office go and just sat there, breathing deeply, trying to regain his composure. 

When he finally felt like he wouldn’t kill the first person he met on the hall, he got up and marched into his own office, looking for the contract. He wanted to see if there were other clauses like this one that he missed due to the elated state he was in when he first signed it.   
He only got through the first two pages of the document before a knock sounded from the door. He didn’t feel like answering it, but he knew that as a CEO (if he even was that) he had to take care of the company, no matter how betrayed or angry he felt.   
But when he saw that it was his father again, he regretted ever saying come in.   
“Son, don’t be too angry. Just think about what we proposed, and we can talk about it again next week. You wouldn’t want such a thing to run the company? Or worse, the family, would you? Don’t go around being mad at your own dad!” Mr Barnes smiled at his son patting his shoulder, and Bucky just shook his head in response. Bucky was tired of always fighting everyone, so he remained quiet.   
“But that’s not why I’m here. New... issue appeared, so it seems. We’ve received another bunch of photos, and there is a new request so that they don’t get posted online,” Mr Barnes said, and Bucky’s blood ran cold, suddenly.   
There haven’t been any photos or videos for some time now, and Bucky thought that it was all resolved.   
“What is the request this time?” Bucky asked angrily. He couldn’t understand how the same woman who seemed so meek and exasperated at home would be the same one sending him requests through family members. 

Bucky’s father pulled out his phone and showed him the photos of his sister, Rebecca in new compromising positions. While she was still heavily using, Rebecca, his sweet, sweet Rebecca made some decisions, which weren’t the greatest, to say the least. She’s been with a man that took photos of her, she’s been at BDSM parties without signing any contracts beforehand, so there were multiple photos and videos of his beloved sister, splayed naked, doing God-knows-what with mostly various men.   
Bucky felt physically sick, staring at the photos, and he had to look away.   
His father took it as his cue, and he spoke up again.   
“This time, your beloved wife wants something much more, I’m afraid. But she also insinuated that if you do this, it would be the last thing she ever asked of you, and she would give us all the materials she had on your sister.”   
“So. What. Is. It?!” Bucky accented every word, and not-so-patiently waited for what his father would say next.   
“Now, she wants to have a baby with you. She wrote that she’s been thinking about it for some time and that she thought a baby would make her happy. She said that right after the party she thought it could save your relationship, and she was probably scheming the whole thing in the meantime,” his father said, and when Bucky didn’t reply, he got up.   
“Just do this, and your sister§s reputation will be clean. We can buy the information the other people have of her, and she will finally be free of all of this. Be a good son, a good brother, and just sleep with your wife. But remember, don’t ever talk about it with her. She’s crazy enough to actually post everything if you ever talked to her about this deal she stroke with us,” and with that Mr Barnes left Bucky’s office.   
Bucky’s brain couldn’t wrap around the whole thing. In the year of your marriage, you proved to be a vial person, through the point of view of your fathers and the image they were providing to Bucky. 

But, suddenly, something didn’t seem to add up to the whole story. Bucky saw you at home. You were seriously sick with the flu, and he could see that you couldn’t even watch Netflix because of how tired you were. Even when you didn’t see him, he would check up on you just to be sure you didn’t die from the fever. And you were always asleep. So when did you have the time to think about something so stupid as a child? Especially after the fight you two had in the kitchen the night of the party.   
Bucky didn’t waste any more time and headed home. He was resolved to confront you, even if it meant you would publish some photos of Becca. Bucky needed answers, and he needed them now!  
He practised the speech he wanted to give you the whole ride home, changing words and whole sentences not to make you too mad and to try and talk to you about your reasoning behind all of this. If you didn’t demand the marriage year prior, and if you didn’t do it through your fathers, Bucky actually thought you two could strike up some romance.   
He thought about it all as he opened the door, but upon coming to the living room, he could sense that something has changed. He couldn’t put his finger on what it was, but the longer he stood in the room, the more it seems as if everything changed there.   
And then it hit him. Some of the things you brought there were gone. The fluffy pillows you loved so much, and you would always cuddle them when you were watching something on TV in the living room as if to shield yourself from the outside world.   
Your old coffee cups your grandma gave you a few years ago were also gone. Bucky almost ran through the whole apartment, finding things missing, and he was on the verge of calling the police that there was a robbery in his house, when he came into your room.   
It was empty except for a piece of paper sitting on the bed.   
Bucky took one last glance around and grabbed the paper, unfolding it to read what the person writing had to say. 

_Dear James,  
I know you don’t care one bit about my whereabouts, but I felt like I should at least tell you that I’m not dead. I called you a few times today, but just like any other times, you didn’t pick up. I know you hate me, and although I can’t figure out why, I just wanted to tell you that I finally moved out. The house is all yours, and you can bring anyone there, like Natasha, for example. I don’t care anymore. I can’t act like I’m a happy housewife when every day in that house was pure hell for me. So I’m gone from your life, and I will file for divorce in the next few days. Please, just be so kind as to sign it when it comes and don’t make our lives even more miserable than they already are. I hope we will be able to find a way for me to work at the company because I miss it terribly. I miss working, I miss being independent.   
Take care.   
Sincerely  
Y/N_


	5. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky recalls times in your marriage that were ambiguous, trying to find out where the truth is, while going carefully over the contract he signed when he got the company. And he suddenly sees things from a different perspective

Bucky was sitting on what was previously your bed, reading the letter you left behind over and over. At first, he went straight to his previous way of thinking, believing this was some kind of manipulation from you. But the longer he read it, the more he realised it was genuine. You were genuinely hurt, Bucky suddenly realised, and his heart gave a painful thud in his chest.   
Was it all just some weird game somebody else was playing, destroying two innocent people along the way? But more importantly, was Bucky unknowingly destroying you all this time, when you had nothing to do with all of this?   
Bucky recalled the night he “proposed” to you. At that time, he thought you were playing some sick game, trying to provoke him with your happiness. But he suddenly imagined your joyous face in front of him, the tears in your eyes giving them even glossier look just made you look prettier. But then, Bucky didn’t want to think of you as pretty or hot. You were the enemy for him and his family, and he tried to do everything in his power to forget about the way you tasted when he finally gave in to his urges.   
Sex with you was the best he ever had, and every time he was with a woman ever since he imagined your face in front of him. He thought of the little noises you made when you came for him, and it never failed to make him horny. But he willed himself to forget about it, to think of it as sealing the deal. He slept with you on a few other occasions, always drunk because that was the only way he could look at you the same way he used to when you were younger.   
Bucky closed his eyes and sighed heavily. Could he have been doing all that with you all this time, if somebody wasn’t playing you two like puppets?   
He laughed bitterly as he realised that the only played person was most probably him. That from the drama in the kitchen and from the letter in his hand, it started to be more than obvious you had no idea what was going on. You were probably just happy to finally have a chance with him, after all those years he tried to make himself as independent as he could.   
Bucky needed to talk to you as soon as possible, just to ask some general questions in case he was wrong about you right now, but he doubted he was. Things finally started to make a little more sense. He still didn’t want to think of the people or the person who was actually doing all this, because he had the feeling he wouldn’t survive it just now.   
But first, he needed to consult the only other person he felt like he could trust. Steve.   
—-

Bucky gave him a short call asking him to come to his house, and Steve didn’t waste a second getting there. He could hear that something was seriously wrong by the tone of Bucky’s voice. His best friend was rarely confused or surprised, let alone upset.   
When he came into the house, he called for Bucky, looking around, seeing that some things have changed, and from the weird feeling in his stomach, Steve could say that you were gone. For good. And although it should have been a good thing after the things you’ve done to Bucky and his family in the recent year and something, Steve felt that there was more to the story.   
He almost ran up the stairs, finding Bucky in your room, sitting on your bed with something between his fingers. Bucky had his eyes closed, and if Steve didn’t know better, he would say Bucky was actually asleep. But from the set jaw and clenched fist and overall rigid posture, Steve knew that his best friend was just thinking.   
“Hey there, bud. What happened? Where’s Y/N?”   
“Gone. She’s gone, pal. And while a few days ago I would take that as a victory, I have the feeling I should be mourning and not celebrating. I told you about the little fight we had in the kitchen the night of the party, right?” Bucky asked, and Steve just nodded, beckoning Bucky to continue.   
“I’ve had some doubts ever since then, but today, man. Today my father and her father vetoed me in company’s vote, which I didn’t even think was possible. But about that later. And Y/N was sick the week after the party, and then I was too busy to actually take notice of her, but that doesn’t matter. My father came barging in today, telling me that Y/N wanted a child from me or she’ll reveal some new photos that I haven’t seen yet. But, I’m telling you, man, she was too sick to even have her eyes opened, let alone to plot a fucking masterplan. And then I came home, ready to confront her, finally, and I found only this letter laying on her bed, and she is fucking gone,” Bucky sighed and handed Steve the letter to have a look on his own.   
They both remained quiet while Steve read over the letter a few times to be sure he didn’t miss anything.   
“This actually sounds like she just wants to be free, doesn’t it? Like she would actually be relieved if I signed the divorce papers. Or am I just seeing things?” Bucky asked, genuinely concerned. 

“Look, something stinks here. Because this is really Y/N telling you that she wants to have nothing to do with you, ever again, pretty much, and from what you told me about the party, she also acted honestly. So why somebody who is trying to get away from you and whose life you made living hell, I quote here, would want a fucking kid with you? It doesn’t make any sense, Buck, none at all,” Steve mused, looking at Bucky with concern in his eyes.   
“What if, all this time, it wasn’t her making all those demands, but somebody else, a third party, and the only thing I did was hurt her over and over?”  
“I don’t know, Buck. And why didn’t you pick up her phone? If you have this feeling for some time, you could’ve talked to her today,” Steve added.   
Bucky quickly grabbed his phone and showed Steve his missed calls. There were none.   
Steve’s eyes perked up as he looked from Bucky to the phone and back to Bucky.  
Bucky then went through his contacts, finding yours under simply your name, and when he clicked on the contact, it showed him that your number has been blocked in his phone.   
“You blocked her in some tantrum?”   
“Have I ever had a fucking tantrum, man? I had never blocked anybody, even that crazy chick that called me nonstop when we were 20. I never tried to contact Y/N, that’s on me, but I wouldn’t block her number. What if she was in danger and she’d call me? I wouldn’t be so dumb.”   
Steve scoffed and raised an eyebrow at his friend. “If what you think is true, I don’t think she’d call you if she were in danger.”   
Bucky sighed, knowing that Steve was right. He quickly unblocked your number and stared at the screen, musing at whether to call you or not. He didn’t even know what he’d say anymore. He was just confused, and he couldn’t grasp anything that was happening around him. And he hated to feel this helplessness inside him. But if you were really innocent, Bucky thought, you must have felt like this the whole time. And once again, Bucky’s heart hurt at the thought of it.   
—-

Bucky didn’t call you that night. He thought he would look into the contract before he made any rash decisions. Luckily, he grabbed it last night as he was leaving the office so he could have enough privacy to go through it line by line.   
He was going through it, paying attention to every little detail. So far, nothing caught his attention, everything was the way it supposed to be and what he remembered from reading it the first time.   
It was when he got to the almost conclusion of the contract, that he stumbled upon an interesting clause.   
_In case Barnes and Clark’s families connect through marriage, the company cannot be sold to anybody else, nor can any third party take over the company as such. In this case, the founding members of the company stay in leadership positions, able to veto the CEO’s decisions. Further explanation of this clause to be found in section 17, clause 198._  
Bucky furiously turned the pages of the contract between his fingers, trying to get to the section mentioned. When he got to section 17, he quickly skimmed through the pages to find clause 198, but he could only find number 197 before section 18 started. 

Ok, now this was more than weird. Where the hell was the fucking section and how in the fucking hell would you even be able to put such shitty clause into his contract? You’ve never even seen the fucking papers. Before this day, it was safely confined behind closed doors of his office. The only people who ever even saw the contract were… his and your fathers.   
Bucky’s stomach clenched, recalling the photos of his sister splayed on different surfaces, on various men, doing God knows what. Would any of your fathers be so insane, especially his own fucking father, to use his daughter as leverage against Bucky? And what was the third party mentioned in the contract?  
Bucky hoped that his confusion would dissipate after reading through it, but it only caused him to be more upset. It was now more than evident that you had no fucking idea what was happening around you. And that this whole time, you were actually trying to be a good wife to him, just trying to please him and his fucking manners.   
He acted like a douche to you this whole time because he thought you were the devil’s spawn, trying to get a reaction out of you and make your life as bad as he thought his own life was, while you had no idea what was going on.   
Bucky wanted to die there and then. He quickly picked up his phone and shot you a text message, hoping you two could talk for the first time since you got married, and you could find a way to be civil. He knew that hoping for anything else would be foolish. He would sign the divorce papers to free you from himself. He was obviously toxic for you, and he wanted to redeem himself, even if it meant never seeing you again.   
—-

You slumped down on your couch, totally exhausted. You tried to make your apartment liveable and comfortable, just trying to make it feel like a home. Not that you felt like that in a long time. You thought that taking stuff you bought to make yourself feel better in Bucky’s house would prove a good thing, but the more you looked at the fluffy pillows, the worse you felt.   
You knew it was a good thing that you left and you had no regrets about that part. But as you were finally alone, you realised one simple thing.   
Sure, Bucky made your life a living hell for no apparent reason. And you definitely weren’t forgetting nor forgiving that anytime soon. But you knew you could’ve done more. That you could’ve talked to him, could’ve made him listen to your reasoning. It might have not helped, but you should have tried more.   
But that was in the past, you knew Bucky, and you had no future, and you only prayed you could be civil enough to maybe come back to work one day. You got up from the couch to have a quick shower, getting the dirt and exhaustion out of your system.   
When you got up, you went to cook yourself some super unhealthy dinner, something you missed terribly in your previous life. You just wanted to check your phone to check the time so that you could cook your meal properly.   
Your heart stopped when you saw there was a message waiting for you. 

From: James  
_Hello, Y/N. I know you probably don’t ever wanna talk to me again, and I understand that. But could you find it in you, to see me, possibly one last time? I promise I’ll sign whatever divorce papers you wish me to. I just feel like I should explain certain things. You don’t own me anything, but I’m begging you to give me the chance to tell you some information, and most importantly, to apologise for everything.  
Please, let me know if you would be up for this.   
Bucky _

Oh shit, you thought and had to grab the counter behind you not to fall from all the shock coursing your veins. What the hell just happened?


	6. Little Too Late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the first time in a long time, you and Bucky actually sit down and talk. And you cannot believe your own ears

Nervous as hell, you get out of your car in front of what you called home for the year and something of your marriage. More like hell, you think as you step on the gravel on the road in front of the stairs leading to the front door.   
It took you some time to actually reply to James’ message, trying to figure out what game he was playing. You did everything you thought he wanted, and that you needed. You left the house, you promised to go to a divorce lawyer and send him the papers without him having to do anything. You knew in your mind that you wouldn’t want anything from his, just peace and quiet and for him to leave you the fuck alone.   
But the text he sent you made you confused. He was begging you? He understood something? That was so unlike the James you got to know in your marriage that you couldn’t wrap your head around it. Not that it wasn’t nice, feeling like you were in control for once. Sure. But you weren’t sure how long the power would stay in your hands.   
You didn’t understand what he wanted and tried to figure out why in the hell he would actually want to speak to you. 

You asked him where thought you should meet, he texted you that any place was good, only not the company. He told you he had a good reason for this, and that he would tell you everything once he saw you. You had two options then: his house or your apartment. And because you wanted to have a free way out, you opted for the first option. Also, you wanted to keep as much distance between the two of you, and you didn’t want James to know where you lived. Nobody knew, and you planned on keeping it that way. Nobody but your brothers, of course.   
You slowly walked towards the door, and before you could reach them, James was already standing there, opening the door for you.   
He gave you a shy smile and scratched the back of his neck as you walked around him, and you frowned at the action. Why did he suddenly seem like a schoolboy, nervous to even look at you? You thought it was another sick way to maybe make you fall in love with him once again and then hurt you even more than before. But you wouldn’t fall for his fake facade. Not again.   
—-

Bucky watched you pull out in front of the house, and his heart started beating a little faster. He was actually surprised you even agreed on meeting him, let alone so quickly. He thought it was probably so that you’d have it behind you as soon as possible and you could start a new life, preferably without him in it.   
He understood you completely. He looked for more evidence that it wasn’t you playing him, but, indeed, somebody quite different who Bucky trusted all this time blindly. He was seething just thinking about the prospect of it all, but he tamed his emotions. He needed to have a clear head when talking to you so that he could explain everything as best as he could, trying to beg for your forgiveness, even though he was aware of just how slim chances of that happening were.   
All he needed was to lay all the information he had on the table, so that you knew what was going on in his head, and that he wasn’t the asshole he tried to make you believe during that year. Touch, he knew, but Bucky wanted to believe that he had enough evidence to persuade you. 

When you got out of the car, he saw you, what felt like the first time. You looked so much healthier than when you lived with him, and his heart clenched in his chest. He knew you still had some pounds to gain to be on your normal weight, but at least colour came back to your cheeks, and your hair looked much healthier as well.   
Bucky didn’t even realise he was smiling and watching you until you were standing right in front of him, and he diverted his gaze, feeling a like a teenager who has just been caught watching his crush. He scratched the back of his neck nervously and saw the line on your forehead increasing due to your frown. Your face obviously hardened, and Bucky sighed inwardly. So, not to a good start, he thought as he closed the door behind you and followed you to the living room.   
When you came in, Bucky expected you to sit down immediately, but you stood, unsure of what to do.   
“Let’s sit, Y/N. This is your house as well, you don’t have to stand around,” Bucky smiled warmly at you, but all you gave him was a confused face and a sarcastic scoff that followed.   
“This has never been my house. I simply slept and worked here, nothing homely for me here, trust me,” you said with a mock smile as you sat down on the sofa. It used to be your favourite sofa when you lived there, but without the fluffy pillows which were your purchase, it looked a little sad. Just like the rest of the house, but you didn’t want to look around too much. 

“Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? I don’t want to be here longer than absolutely necessary,” you said coldly as you looked straight at Bucky.   
He looked different. You didn’t know if it was because you haven’t seen him for so long, which definitely wasn’t something you were used to, or because of the large blue sacks under his eyes. For a split second, you thought he looked at miserably as you did when you had to live with him. And despite him being the sole reason for your misery, you felt sorry for him, your kind heart having a hard time seeing anyone in distress.   
Bucky coughed a little and pulled out a briefcase, giving you a curt nod.   
“Right, sorry. This will be a word that I’ll say a lot today, so just bear with me, please,” he said with a sad smile, and pulled some papers out of the briefcase, putting them on the conference table in front of you.   
You could see it was a contract of some sort, but because you haven’t seen one in a long time, you couldn’t be sure what it was concerning. It was obviously some kind of a copy, because Bucky, or somebody, highlighted the critical parts with a yellow highlighter. He pushed it to your hands, signalling that you should have a look at the yellow part.   
You nodded and skimmed through it. 

In case Barnes and Clark’s families connect through marriage, the company cannot be sold to anybody else, nor can any third party take over the company as such. In this case, the founding members of the company stay in leadership positions, able to veto the CEO’s decisions. Further explanation of this clause to be found in section 17, clause 198.   
You frowned at it, your eyes looking at Bucky briefly before you tried to find the clause stated in the previous paragraph. But, just like Bucky, you couldn’t find it. It was obviously supposed to be on the next page, but the page simply wasn’t there. The question was why.   
“Where is section 17, clause 198, James? And what the fucking hell is this shit?” You said, still not believing your own eyes.   
“This is the contract that I signed when I took over the company. I thought I had the original because there wasn’t the usual talk about original and copies and how they should be exactly the same, but I didn’t even think to look for it, to be honest with you. My dad gave me this contract to sign, my fucking dad, Y/N. I mean, I went through it, but I didn’t read it properly, obviously. And I’ve looked through the whole fucking office, and the original isn’t there either, so it must be with either my or your dad,” Bucky finished and looked back at you only to found you staring at him with your mouth hanging open.   
You shook your head, trying to get your brain to work.   
“Cool, this is horrific, and I would also like to see what the original fucking deal states, but you obviously found out about this only now, so, I’m not really sure how it fits the whole picture,” you said, bidding Bucky continue. 

He then told you all about Rebecca and the photos and the videos, how his father made him believe that it was all your doing, and how Bucky never questioned him. You listened to him intently, standing up in the middle of his speech, pacing around the room, your heart beating fast in your chest.   
“Why in the hell would you think I would ever do something like this? Don’t you know me at all? James, I would never-“   
“Bucky, please, call me Bucky,” he jumped in, and you lost it.   
“You fucking made me call you James for the whole marriage because you thought it was more appropriate, I’m not going back to Bucky. You fucking asked for this. You never thought of coming to me with all of that, demanding information?” You were yelling, breathing heavily.   
Bucky stood up as well, facing you with a sad face.   
“He told me that if I ever confronted you, you would post all those photos online, that you would make Becca’s life miserable, even more than it already is, with all that’s going on with her and the drugs. I didn’t want to take the risk. I was stupid, ok? I was fucking scared and stupid and made your life miserable. I don’t have anything for my defence. I’m the biggest asshole in this whole goddamn world,” he sighed and slumped back onto the armchair.   
You were watching him, calming yourself a little. You tried to look at things from his perspective. If it was your brother who was in some shit, and you could save him by something like that… You honestly didn’t know what you would do.   
You sat down as well. 

“I can’t find an excuse for your behaviour, at least not all of it, James. Even if I could myself in your shoes and understood the turmoil inside you for not being able to talk to me, I certainly don’t understand why you treated me the way you did. The little things, like not letting me work, or sleeping with whom I considered one of my best friends-“  
“I never slept with Natasha. I’m not gonna lie, I did sleep with a few women over the year, but it wasn’t as many as I made you believe. I wanted to hurt you, and I thought I would do so by making you believe I slept with somebody else. I know, I’m a pitiful excuse for a man, I know. But I never slept with Natasha, I swear!” He exclaimed, begging you with his eyes.   
“What are you talking about? I saw you coming out of the room together, both of you looked like you fucked!”   
“We didn’t. Natasha asked me if she could talk to me in private, so I showed her inside the room, and then she was all over me, unbuttoning my shirt, ruffling my hair, kissing my shirt. I tried to pull her away from me, but she was persistent. When I finally succeeded her marks were on me, and her hair also looked a little out of place. I told her that I wouldn’t do that, and we left the room, and that’s when you saw us. I wanted to tell you how it was, but then I realised that I hated you, and so I let you believe that it actually happened,” he whispered the last part, evidently ashamed of himself. 

You watched him, trying to find a trace of him lying, but you couldn’t find anything. All you saw was a broken man, trying to prove he wasn’t as big of a piece of shit as you thought. Not that it was helping that much, but there was a part of him, a tiny part, that understood him.   
You sighed heavily and dropped your head between your shoulders, thinking. A few minutes passed by as you just sat there in silence, both of you lost in your thoughts.   
“Is there a chance of you ever forgiving me, Y/N?” Bucky asked, sounding like a wounded animal.   
“Honestly? I don’t know, James. There were times when I thought I was in love with you, and I was so happy when we spent time together again and then you proposed. But then everything changed, and I don’t even know you anymore. I understand that you tried to protect your family, but I thought I was your family as well. I guess I was wrong. So, I don’t know. I’m not gonna give you a hard no because one never knows, but I’m not sure how to go about it all. And if, if I ever forgive you, it will take a lot of time. I’m not sure you have patience enough or if it’s worth it,” you mentioned, giving James the closest to a smile you could muster. 

“Fair enough, I don’t even deserve your forgiveness, I know I don’t. But I want to ask something different. Do you want to take revenge on those putting us through this all?”   
Your look darkened at the prospect of hurting both your and Bucky’s father. You never had any personal issue with Mr Barnes, but he obviously had one with you. However, your father was something different altogether. He deserved to be dragged through the mud for all he’s ever done to you.   
Smirking at James, you nodded your head, already imagining the different ways of going about the whole revenge business.   
Bucky nodded back.   
“Alright, good. They have no idea that I know this, of that I’m sure. They just think I’m pissed at them for vetoing my vote in the board meeting. Did you tell your father that you moved out?”   
You shook your head negative, and Bucky smirked at you. You might not have known him anymore, but you remembered this face. He had a plan on his mind, and there was no way of stopping him. You just hoped that the plan of his wouldn’t drag you through something worse than you have already encountered.


	7. War Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Bucky set wheels into motion. Now you just gotta convince everybody you’re a happy couple trying to get pregnant. Easy-peasy.

You took a deep breath and smoothed out the skirt of your dresses. You looked at yourself in the mirror, squinting your eyes because there was an apparent difference between the you now, and the you looking in the mirror a few weeks ago, when you had the big party in your house.   
Much has changed since that. You finally gained your own independence, your skin looked like that of an alive person once again, and you were able to smile at yourself without feeling sorry for yourself. Sure, you were back in the house, you were once again pretending to be the good wife, but this time, you knew it was a pretence and that it wouldn’t be for long.   
After James told you his plan into great detail, you knew this was your best shot. Not that you were too enthusiastic over it, far from it. You had to move back into the house, however temporarily it was, and you again had to be James’ wife.   
The change was that when there weren’t people around, James finally didn’t treat you like shit. And it was a nice feeling, to be honest. Not that your feelings changed from that of contempt, not altogether, anyway. It was just nice to be recognised for the person you were after all this time, and not being seen just like the accessory, the maid, and the idiot.   
It wasn’t much, but it was something. Besides, James has been grovelling this whole time, trying to get you on his side, apologising almost every day, sometimes on multiple occasions throughout the day.

You didn’t think it was crucial for you to be back in the house at full time. You believed you could come there only when there were guests or something, but James had a point in saying that some people liked to stop by without notice, and you two wouldn’t want anyone reporting back to your fathers that you weren’t at home. Because, by now, you realised that some people must have been working for the two of them, there just wasn’t a possibility in the world that they would be able to pull everything off just by themselves.   
You just didn’t know who, yet. But for now, you and James agreed not to trust anyone except the obvious people. Steve and your brothers. All of them knew what was going on and it didn’t get to your fathers, so they couldn’t have been the rats. A huge rock fell from your heart when you realised you could still have an open relationship with your brothers. And from the look on James’ face, he was glad he could have the same with Steve.   
Thinking about what you had to do tonight, your stomach clenched and nausea built in you. You breathed through your nose a few times to settle it, trying to think of anything else but the night. You invited your families again, for dinner, this time. It was supposed to be just your families, no friends, or anything like that, and you knew James was a little tense about not having a teammate there, while you had all your brothers.   
But you promised you were in it with him until you took those bastards down, that was. You still haven’t figured out why they were doing all of it, and even though James turned his office upside down one late afternoon on a sunny Sunday, he still couldn’t find the missing page of the contract. You just knew it was either at yours’ or James’ father’s office back at their houses.

That would be a mission for later.   
Now, you had to make sure everybody believed everything was bright and sunny in your marriage, and that you were actually trying for a baby. You knew your brothers would cause a problem, knowing about the issues you and James had, but you intended to take them aside early to the dinner, just to make sure they’d be quiet and at least try and pretend they were happy for what you were about to announce.   
You had this whole story prepared, and you both just prayed that your fathers would eat it without further questions, leaving you two a room to breathe, so that you could concentrate on the important thing.   
—-

You heard the doorbell ring, and you knew it was game-time. You put on a bright smile and descended the stairs, seeing James waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs, giving you a shy smile. You nodded at him, the smile still on your face, but somehow James knew now it was a fake smile. Your eyes didn’t shine, but he wouldn’t expect them to. Not after what he’s done.   
You both went to the door to open them, revealing your father and your mother standing there, both of them expressionless.   
“Father, mother. Good to see you again,” you said, straining your face so that you wouldn’t grimace at your own words. They both nodded at you and shook hands with James, who was patiently standing by your side.   
Your mother hugged you, but, just like always, her hug was a little impersonal, and you again thought that you could have done without it. Actually, any touch coming from your parents felt unnatural, and you tried to avoid them any way you could. But now you tried to play the best of pretence, so you needed to bite it.   
You wanted to close the door when from the corner of your eyes, you could see all your brothers and their partners coming down the pathway. They waved at you, laughing at something, but the second they saw James standing next to you, his hand lazily resting against your shoulder, the atmosphere changed.   
Adam’s hands balled into fists, and he was running, suddenly. You knew what would come, so you pushed James inside, telling him to go and entertain your parents, to which he only raised his eyebrow but didn’t say anything, and before anything else could happen, you sprinted towards the three pissed men.

“The fuck, Y/N? When you called us we all thought you got rid of that motherfucker and somehow got the house! I’m gonna break his fucking face, I swear to God!” Adam yelled, and just the fact he was an MMA fighter gave him the extra spice making him a tad bit more scary to everybody but you.   
“Oh, calm down: First, you can’t go around throwing punches like a fucking idiot! And secondly, there are things that you don’t know about, and that changed a whole lot of things. I promise I’ll tell you all about it, but when this whole charade is over. I just need you to be civil to James. I’m not asking you to kiss his ass, so don’t give me that look Max, but I need you to not break his face while we’re there,” you breathed out, trying to look as calm and collected as you could if somebody was staring at you either from the house or from the driveway.   
You could see they were all thinking, Felicia (Max’s wife), and Marty (Adam’s girl) standing behind them quietly, but from the look on Felicia’s face, you knew she had her opinion about the whole thing as well. You rolled your eyes at all of them, and even though you were happy they were all so protective of you, you still needed them to act like adults.   
“Fine,” Thomas spat, embracing you and giving you a kiss on your head, with Max and Adam standing behind him and taking turns in hugging you.   
When they all seemed to have calmed down, you saw James’s father and mother walking towards the house, and you smiled politely at them, a smile which they reciprocated. You always thought that James’s father was the better of your father, supporting his children and not pushing his own ideals on them, but now, you knew you were wrong.   
—-

Sitting around the table with dinner all in front of everybody, the feeling of uneasiness came upon you again. You could see your fathers following you and James like two vultures with their eyes, waiting for the smallest mistakes so they could reprimand you.   
So you just ate in silence, with the small talk mostly coming from either of your mothers, and Adam’s girlfriend, who was obviously oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the room. You were both jealous of her and surprised that somebody like this could exist. You knew that she and Adam weren’t together for that long, but even she must have sensed that whenever your father was involved in anything, the four of you immediately froze.   
Adam would never admit it, but his whole career was just compensation and rebellion again your father who always pushed all of you in some direction, and then changed his opinion and wanted you all to pursue something else.   
Your father always wanted Max to take over the company, and when that didn’t work out for Max’s passion towards medicine, which your father couldn’t really fight, he tried to get both Thomas and Adam in, but they were interested. And then you were left, and everybody knew how that went.   
You were pretty sure you were all a huge disappointment to your father, and you could see, from his selfish and psychotic perspective, why he would try to play with your life. But why James’ father was doing it was beyond you. Even in his wildest period, you were pretty sure George was proud of his son, which was definitely more you could ever say about your own father.

“So, Y/N. Why did you invite us here? Something you wanna tell us?” Your father asked with the typical scowl on his face, and you fought the urge to fight him, or at least throw mashed potatoes at him.   
Instead, you smiled sweetly at him and looking at James who ostentatiously put his hand over yours on the table, for everyone to see. He nodded at you and gave you a reassuring smile and, somehow, it did make you a little less tense. Not that you forgave him, or even forgot all those things that happened during the year, but he was your partner right now. You just hoped you could trust him in this.   
“Well, I’m not sure if you noticed, but our marriage hasn’t been the easiest this past year and something. We felt like we rushed into things, and not being able to communicate properly, we drifted apart. But we realised this relationship was important enough for us to fight for, and so that’s what we’re doing.  
We realise there is a lot of stuff we still have to tackle, and we know it’s not going to be easy, but we want to give our marriage another chance,” you said with a smile, gripping James’ hand.   
Both fathers squinted their eyes, and if one didn’t concentrate on them, he wouldn’t notice the way the corner’s of their mouth raised ever so slightly. But from the squeeze James was giving your right hand, you knew he saw exactly what you did. So he continued.   
“We’ve also thought of things to strengthen our relationship, and even though we first thought of couple’s counselling, we then thought maybe it wasn’t necessary. But, there was another thing that Y/N wanted and wished for, and I will give her gladly. So, why we asked you all to come here, is to tell you that we are actively trying to have a child,” Bucky finished with a smile on his own.   
Now, both your fathers smiled very obviously, but you couldn’t watch them properly, for Adam started coughing and choking on his salad. He evidently didn’t expect you two to come with such thing that evening, and his reddish face was a proof enough of that surprise. Not that the rest of your brothers were giving you less confused faces, but at least they didn’t look like they’d pass out.

Max woke up from his shock and hit Adam’s back with force, making his spit the piece of spinach from his throat, and then he continued to stare at you. You gave them all a pointed look, still smiling, but daring them to speak up.   
And you knew they knew you well enough to comprehend what your face was telling them, so they all took a sip of their drinks, not daring to speak up against the obvious bullshit you were pulling in front of both the families.   
James’ father was the first to speak up.   
“Well, kids, that’s great news. We seriously can’t wait to be grandparents, so get on with it and give us an heir,” George laughed and bid everybody raise their glasses.   
“Let’s hear it for Y/N and James, and productive sex. Especially, let’s pray that Y/N’s womb will be a suitable environment for the heir of Barnes&Clark. To a warm womb!” He yelled, and you almost spit your own drink.   
Warm womb? The fuck? You thought but covered your shock quick enough by raising your glass filled with a juice, just to give them the idea you’re already not drinking just to be sure, and took a sip, smiling at everybody.   
The chatter was much louder after your little announcement, everybody’s spirit’s seemingly lifted. Your father gave you a nod, and you nodded back, but you could see he was still apprehensive, watching your every move.

You excused yourself to go to the bathroom, giving a shy smile, and scurrying away to take a deep breath. You were glad they fell for it, if they fell for it, of course. You really hoped you gave a good enough performance for those two old fuckers to believe it.   
When you felt like you could face the people in the adjacent room again, you left the little bathroom, only to be stopped by a body right in front of the door. Your father, who else?  
“So, I guess there will be congratulations in order soon, huh? Being the obedient little wife, I told you to be? Glad to hear even a bitch like you can change,” he said with a sly smirk, grabbing your chin and making you look at him.   
“Just remember, if I hear you’re misbehaving again, or that you’re unable to conceive a child for James, there will be consequences,” you whispered before you pushed away with a bit more force than necessary, resulting in you hitting the closed door of the bathroom.   
You groaned softly, trying not to raise the attention of the people in the next room because you knew if somebody saw it, you would be in much deeper shit, and your head wouldn’t be the only thing hurting on your body.

Nodding, you rubbed the back of your head when you saw James coming around the corner. He glanced between the two of you, and for a second, his eyes darkened, but he masked it with a fake smile, patting your father on his shoulder.   
“Women, huh? Always taking so long in the bathrooms. I’ll take her away now, don’t you worry nothing,” James said with a laugh and grabbed your elbow, seemingly dragging you out of the room, making your father laugh heartily.   
When you were out of sight, James stood you in front of him.   
“Are you alright? Did he hurt you?” He asked, genuine concern laced in his voice.   
You shook your head, the motion making your headache slightly worse, but you didn’t want to whine to him. That wasn’t the kind of relationship you two had. This was strictly transactional.

“I’m fine, and good job assuring him you were still the Alpha here, he needs to know that I have no voice in this household,” you whispered as you stood up, smoothed yourself in the mirror and stepped back into the room, with James staring at you.   
He saw the whole thing, just didn’t say anything. He couldn't hear what your father told you, but from the wicked smile on his lips, Bucky knew it couldn’t be anything nice and fatherly. An urge to protect you rose in him, and he had to take a few deep breaths to calm himself down because he was able to storm on your father and gave him the beating he deserved. But that would be more than counterproductive. You both needed to play it cool. Bucky just hoped you would both survive it.


	8. Secret Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Bucky decide on what to do next, but before you can do it, you need to talk to your brothers. A conversation which neither you or Bucky look forward to.

After dinner, you stayed up late with Bucky, trying to figure out what to do next. But you both knew what the next step was, you just actively tried to avoid it. But no matter how many hours you were exchanging ideas, you both knew that there was really just one thing that would be important enough for the whole thing to start moving. Getting your hands on the contract.   
You both thought that there were only so many places where the contract could be, and it was either at your parents’ house or Bucky’s parents’ house, neither of which was easy to get in without raising suspicion.   
After the unpleasant conversation with your father that afternoon, you weren’t too keen on getting caught in his office, because you could only imagine what he’d do to you if he ever found out. You weren’t really sure what happened to him, and why you were the hated child, but you guessed it was because you were a woman, and being his old misogynist, he just couldn’t get over the fact that his beloved company could be led by somebody so incompetent as a woman.   
You still didn’t want to share any of this with Bucky, even though you were sure he was beginning to get a picture of the relationship between the two of you. He knew enough about it from the past, but what used to be wasn’t true anymore.

He used to ignore you, and that was the greatest punishment from him. You used to complain about him a lot, so Bucky knew the relationship between the two of you wasn’t the best, but he didn’t know the older your father got, the more violent with you he became.   
And although the last few days with Bucky were actually pretty pleasant, you didn’t trust him enough to tell him about all the bruises your father caused you in the previous few years. So you just concentrated on the task at hand and ignored Bucky’s boring looks.   
“So, what do we do? Just visit each of them and then look through their offices? I mean, cute, but it’s not like I have access to father’s office. He always keeps it locked if he’s not in it, acting as if he hid the secret of the world there,” you sighed, the glass of wine secure in your hand. Immediately after the party left your house, you poured yourself a full glass and downed it almost immediately, that’s how much you needed alcohol at the moment.

“Well, he might, you know? If he keeps it so secure all the time, the contract might very well be there. But we can go and visit my parents first, to stay on the safe side, because my father never locks it and you might excuse yourself to say, I don’t know, that you’re unwell, and everybody might think you’re already pregnant, so they won’t think it’s weird if you stay behind a little longer. And I’m gonna make sure nobody leaves to look for you,” Bucky said, shrugging and you nodded in agreement.   
“Yup, sounds reasonable. And if I don’t find it there, then we’ll know that it’s somewhere with my father and we can figure out the next steps later. Because that will be much more challenging, and probably more dangerous,” you muttered mostly to yourself, but it got Bucky’s attention.   
“Dangerous? What do you mean? Like he would hurt us if he found us there?” Bucky asked, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.   
You just scoffed and rolled your eyes at him.   
“C’mon, James. They did all of this to us, they made you marry me and make me believe it was your choice, while they made you believe that I was a psychopath, obviously, who only wanted to hurt you and your sister. You really think they wouldn’t hurt us if it was necessary?”   
You knew you were right, and the fact you were hiding some information from his was unimportant. He nodded as he probably forgot for a second about all that was going on about the two of you, forgetting that your fathers were scheming devils trying to ruin your lives, or whatever it was they were doing.   
He shot you an apologetic look, one that you got quite used to in the time spent with him since the whole revelation.   
“Stop looking at me like this, James. I’m not gonna discuss the whole thing with you right now. What happened, happened, and I have no intention of getting into it right now. You should have come to me the second they told you such bullshit and not believe that I would do anything like that. Thought you knew me better than that, even if we haven’t talked for a while. But it doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s get them and then we can live our lives,” you said resolutely, and Bucky nodded, knowing you were right and he had no right to even beg for your forgiveness.

“I know, Y/N, I know. I’ll stop it right now. So, uhm, I assume you’re gonna have to tell your brothers, huh? If looks could kill, I think I’d be dead now because they were staring daggers at me the whole night,” Bucky chuckled slightly, and you joined him.   
“Yeah, they’re not your biggest fans right now, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise. I’m gonna have to tell them everything, and I hope they’ll understand and won’t kill you until we figure it all out,” you said with a smirk, and Bucky swallowed, with his eyes wide open.   
“And then you’ll give them the green light? I mean, I deserve it, no argument here, but can’t it be just Max? He seems like the one not being able to kill me with one swing. For fuck’s sake, Y/N, Thomas is in the army and Adam is a fucking MMA fighter. He would break me in half,” Bucky whined, and you had to laugh at him, but also at the image he just implanted in your mind.   
“He would, and he would do it with the biggest smile on his face too. You deserve a good ass-kicking and trust me, even Max is pretty scary when he’s angry,” you smirked at him as you sipped on your wine.   
Bucky whined and hid his head in his palms. He was actually surprised your brothers haven’t killed him already for all the shit he was giving you this whole marriage. Come to think of it, he was lucky to be alive right now. You were their baby sister, and Bucky hurt you more than anybody could. He might actually ask Adam to kill him once this was all over, that would be the ultimate punishment.   
—-

You called your brothers and asked them to come to you so that you could explain everything to them in great detail. They deserved that much. What you didn’t tell them was that Bucky would be present as well. But you knew if you disclosed this information, they would either not come or come armed, neither of which was a good option.   
It was a few days after the party that all three of them could come, and when they did, their eyebrows perched up when they saw Bucky in the living room.   
“Oh, somebody’s got a death wish, I see,” Adam hollered as he strode towards Bucky to grip him by the neck. Bucky wasn’t surprised and didn’t want to cause a fight, so he just stood there, doing nothing and letting Adam choke him.   
“Let him go, Adam, you can kick the hell out of him later, I promise,” you said rolling your eyes, and when Adam wouldn’t let go, you looked pleadingly at Thomas who mutter under his breath how unfair this was and that he wanted a piece of him too, and went to his brother to pull him off of Bucky. Max was just watching it all unfold in front of him, enjoying the drama.

You jabbed him in the ribs letting him know that it wasn’t cool to enjoy this as much as he did, but he just shrugged, not sorry at all and went to the living room and sat down. All the men in the room soon followed suit, your brothers sitting opposite of Bucky.   
And because you knew you’d be telling the story with Bucky, you went and sat down next to him, but not too close so that your overprotective brothers wouldn’t lose their minds.   
“I know you didn’t expect James to be here, but because it’s about both of us, we thought that it’d be better if he were here to provide some facts and his own findings. But if you three can’t fucking behave, I’ll slap each and every one of you, we clear?” You said, and your brothers all just grunted and rolled their eyes.   
Children, you thought, as you looked at Bucky, signalling that he should start.   
“So, I’m gonna start by saying that I can’t even express how sorry I am for ever hurting your sister. I thought I had my reasons, but I was just acting like a complete douche, and it never should have happened. So, I’m sorry for that,” Bucky said with an even voice.   
“Shouldn’t you be apologising to her and not to us?” Thomas asked, crossing his arms over his chest.   
“I should, I did, and I will. But I thought you wanted to hear that I was sincerely sorry for ever hurting her. Ok, so,” Bucky said and started telling the whole story as he learned about the facts, about the photos and videos of Rebecca, and about the whole truth.   
You chimed in with some things as well, not leaving Bucky to tell the whole story, especially in the parts he was clearly not comfortable talking about.   
You were watching the expressions on your brothers’ faces, and the way it changed from angry, to confused, to surprised, ending at remorseful. Learning the whole truth made them see things in a new light.

“Ok, I guess why you didn’t ask Y/N about any of it, because if anybody told me that they had incriminating photos of pumpkin here, I too would act extra protectively, just to be sure. But, I mean, you didn’t have to be such an asshole, did you, Bucky?” Max said with a raised eyebrow, and Bucky nodded in agreement.   
“I was bitter and was an asshole, I don’t have a better excuse than that,” Bucky shrugged and looked at you again, and you just gave him a small smile, not wanting to start anything right now. Because you did have an understanding for him. And you too were feeling guilty about not speaking up sooner. Because if only you asked him and told him what you thought, you might have not been so deep in this mess now. After all, there wasn’t anybody threatening you, like they were Bucky and his family. At least they acted like there was a threatening force for him.   
“You know what? I’m not that surprised, to be honest. With all the shit dad’s been giving you the last few years, I’m surprised he didn’t try to kill you yet. I mean, you’ve had enough bruises from him to compete with mine from the cage,” Adam shrugged, and you sighed heavily. You didn’t want to talk about it, but from the way Bucky’s eyebrows shot to his hairline, you knew he wouldn’t give up so easily this time.  
“What do you mean?” Bucky asked, and all brothers shared a look, before looking at you like you fell from Mars.   
“You didn’t tell him? Wow, pumpkin. And you didn’t notice the bruises, man? Adam almost broke dad’s face this one time, but we got there fast enough. They didn’t speak for like 4 months after that,” Thomas said.

“Yeah, let’s just say that I told him that if he ever touched Y/N again, I’d fucking kill him and he’s been good ever since, hasn’t he, pumpkin?” Adam asked, and you squirmed in your seat. You could lie to anybody in the world but your brothers.   
When you remained quiet, Adam rose from his seat and crossed the room to squat in front of you.   
“He touched you? Why didn’t you tell me? You know I’d do anything to protect you, we all would,” Adam said softly, much softer that anyone would say he could.   
You touched the side of his face and looked at him with a sad smile.  
“I know you would, but it wasn’t anything crazy. You know how quickly my skin breaks or bruises. It’s really no big deal. And besides, you can’t keep fighting my fights, boys. I’m gonna take him down this time, and it’s gonna be my retaliation for all he’s done to be during the years,” you kissed his forehead, and he hugged you tightly.   
“I love you, pumpkin. And I know you can fight yourself, but I don’t want you to. You’re our baby sister, and you deserve to be pampered and loved, and whoever hurts you will have to answer to us. All of us,” Adam said with a smirk, and you swatted his bicep.   
“Yeah, yeah, you’re a death commando, all three of you. Especially mister I-can’t-hurt-my-hands over there,” you said with a laugh, and all the boys in the room joined you.   
The atmosphere was much lighter now that everything was out in the open. You were glad you told your brothers because now they didn’t want to kill Bucky, or at least not as acutely.   
There was now just one more thing to do; find the contract and figure out what you needed to do to bring them down. Easy peasy, right?


	9. Treasure Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since you didn’t find anything at Bucky’s parents’ house, you have to go and face your own parents. But fortunately you have something like an army on your side. Your brothers and Bucky.

You wished that the awkward dinner you had with Bucky’s parents would at least be fruitful and that you wouldn’t have to go and face your own parents. But no. Fate had something else on mind, and so even after the 3 insufferable hours at the house, you didn’t find anything even remotely connected to the contract.   
But just the thought that you had to go back to your parent’s house made your stomach turn. You’ve decided that it was better sooner than later, and so it was only two days after seeing the Barnes family that you were on the way to your family estate.   
Because that’s precisely what it was. An estate. Some even wanted to call it a palace, but because there weren’t that many happy memories connecting you to that place, you’d rather not compare to anything out of a fairytale.   
Maybe a dungeon or a place of horror would be a more suitable description, but you knew that for some, like your brothers, it was just home, and you didn’t want to destroy it for them, so you just remained silent.

Your brothers were kind enough to go with you, telling you that it would be much safer if they were around, helping you try to distract your father.   
At first, you thought you’d go without Bucky, just to have a nice family dinner, but Max had a good point, saying that your father expected you to be the good wife, and Bucky to have the reins over you. It would seem suspicious if he let you go anywhere on your own. Anywhere that wasn’t a women’s club or something like that.   
So Max thought of the perfect distraction. His oldest daughter, Hannah, was turning 6 soon, and it would have to be celebrated with the whole family, so why not make a whole thing out of it, at your parents’ house. The little ones would be excited because there was so much space to play, and you could get lost for a few minutes without people noticing.   
You thought the main issue would be finding the key to your father’s office, but Thomas was obviously much more observant than you thought.   
He told you that watching your father all those years, he realised where he put the key. And the only thing for you left to do was to get the key and go to that horrendous office, rummage through his stuff and get out unnoticed.   
Just the image of your father catching you going through his stuff made your hands tremble, and you had to bite your lip to stop yourself from asking Bucky to turn the car around and just go to his house.

He probably noticed your nerves, because he halted the car to a stop, and turned to face you.   
“ If this is too much, there will be other, legal, ways to obtain the full contract. You don’t have to do this, Y/N. I feel like shit for even asking you because it’s mainly my fault that we’re in this mess in the first place,” he sighed.   
“No, it’s alright. You went through your father’s things and didn’t make a big deal out of it, so I can go through mine. And it’s their fault, not yours. I just wish it was all over, and we could forget about this whole thing,” you said with a sad smile, and Bucky nodded.   
“Yeah, I know. I still wish I could turn back time and make it all go away, to redeem myself for ever hurting you,” he said softly but didn’t wait for your reply as he turned back to the steering wheel and drove the two of you closer to your target.   
You were glad he didn’t expect an answer from you because you weren’t sure what to tell him. Sure, you hoped this would never happen as well, but, at the same time, it made you who you were. The pain made you stronger, more resilient.   
The rest of the car ride was silent, both of you deep in your thoughts, probably thinking about what could have been but would never be.   
—-

When you pulled outside the estate, you noticed you weren’t the first car there. Good, you thought, things were going according to a plan. You and Max agreed that it would be better if he came first, and the kids would somehow soften your father because he was extremely fond of them.   
You also knew that Adam would have to come last, because if he was the only left alone with your father, well, you four wouldn’t have a father anymore after that. And while you hated him, you didn’t need to see him die.   
Suffer? Sure, but death was a little too much even for you.   
As you stepped outside the car, Bucky rushed to your side and offered you a stretched hand, which you gladly took. First, your father expected you and Bucky be joined at the hip, and second, well, you didn’t mind moral support at that moment. No matter who offered it.   
“Aaah, here you are. We were worried the favourite aunt wouldn’t come!” You father hollered from the door, and you gave him a tight smile.   
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. We got a little carried away at home, that’s all,” you said and glanced at the ground as if in shyness, but in reality, you were just trying to stay calm, and not show your father anything that would make him question you.

You just heard him snicker and pat Bucky’s shoulder, and you released a breath you were holding. Then, you heard little feet running on the marble floor, and when you looked up, Hannah and her little brother were running towards you two, and so you could push the thought of your father to the back of your mind, and concentrate on the little people in front of you.   
They dragged you and Bucky to the living room and showed you all the toys your father bought them, and you had to laugh a little. He really did love those little monsters, and although you felt a pang of jealousy that you couldn’t remember the last time he showed you, love, you were glad he was at least fond of the kids.   
20 minutes in and the kids loved Bucky. He let them jump on him, he answered their every question with ease and patience, and even let Hannah paint his nails. That image was adorable, and you couldn’t help but laugh at him, to which he replied by just winking at you, and he kept conversing with Hannah about her favourite breeds of dogs.   
Your heart tugged uncomfortably, and you fought the urge to hold your chest. There was a time when you wished for nothing more than to have a family on your own with Bucky, and seeing him being so soft with the two of them, was just a bit too real.   
If your fathers didn’t meddle, you actually might have ended up together, naturally. You’ve always been attracted to one another, and there was a real possibility that this would have happened. You didn’t understand why somebody had to push you two into this marriage. Why it was so important for you to be together at that time? It made no sense.   
You shook your head, trying to get your thoughts straight when you heard both Adam and Thomas have arrived. Your father went to greet them, and Max gave you a curt nod.   
It was game time.

You quickly stood up, shooting Bucky a reassuring smile as you almost ran to the kitchen, where Felicia, Max’s wife, was waiting for you.   
Max made her participate in the plan because nobody really ever looked for her. Especially not your father. As harsh as that sounded, it was for the best with this plan.   
Felicia found the key exactly where Thomas told you it was; in a cookie jar at the very top shelf.   
She gave you a smile, and you patted her shoulder in appreciation, but knew there wasn’t time to waste.   
You pretty much sprinted to the first floor, hearing your father conversing with your brothers, and you knew you could count on them. Even if they had to fight to get his attention, you were positive that they wouldn’t let him go and look for you.   
Which left you about 5 to 7 minutes of alone time in which you had to go through his whole office. Nothing easier in the world, really.   
You started with the cabinet behind his desk, going through it quickly, looking for any folder that would look like the right one. It wasn’t the easiest thing, because there were just so many contracts and papers lying all around.

But because Bucky showed you his own contract, you knew what to look for. You didn’t think they would change the whole thing, especially not in appearance. And knowing your father all too well, you knew that all contracts were to be kept in a blue folder. No matter what.   
That was the only good thing about your fathers’ OCD; he always had to have things done the way he was used to. From the way your mother had to bake him his favourite muffins, to the order of pencils and pens on his table, everything had its own order. And the contracts were in blue folders.   
When you found nothing unusual in the cabinet, you turned your attention to the table. You checked your watches and found that you’ve already been there for three minutes. Time was flying by, and you wished you had the ability to stop it, if only for a few minutes. Everything would be better than this.   
You scolded yourself because you had no time for thoughts like this, and rummaged through his table, still trying to make it look as if nobody was in the room.   
First drawer, nothing.   
Second drawer, again, nothing.   
You were going through the third drawer, you, at first, didn’t look for anything other than a blue folder, and so it was easy to miss something important.   
You almost did. But then you thought to look through the drawer again because you had the feeling there was something important there.   
You carefully went through each and every paper and folder, until you found the one that made your breath hitch in your throat.   
A DNA test with your name on it.

You went through it quickly, and when you had all the information you needed, you neatly folded again and put it where you found it. You knew there wasn’t any more time left, but also that there wasn’t a place to look anymore, because you were able to get through all the places he kept something important at.   
At the door, you stopped and looked at the whole room to see if anything looked out of place, and was relieved when you closed the door, leaving the room in the exact same condition as you found it. You didn’t forget to lock the door and went downstairs.   
Your heart was hammering against your ribs, not only because you were nervous, but also because of the information you just obtained. You wanted to scream and cry and ask so many questions, but all that would have to wait till the celebration was over.   
You emerged from behind the corner, just as you heard your father ask where you were.   
“I’m right here, just needed to use the bathroom, if that’s ok,” you said sweetly and walked past him and Thomas to sit next to Bucky. He kissed the crown of your head, trying not to look too curious or anxious.

Another few minutes ticked by before you excused yourself to go and talk to Felicia, who was still in the kitchen, taking care of the birthday cake.   
She arched her eyebrows when you walked in, but you just whispered a quiet later to her ear, before putting the key where it was supposed to be.   
You then helped her put the candles on the cake, and walked with her, singing happy birthday to Hannah. You could see all your brothers and Bucky giving you a look, asking what you found, but you couldn’t tell them. Not yet, anyway.  
Because everything suddenly made sense. At the least why your father seemed to stop caring about you at a certain point in your life, and why he was able to do all those things to you. It all just made sense. With as big of an egoist as your father was, you were actually glad you were alive and not somewhere under the grass in the backyard. Because you were the living proof of your mother’s infidelity.


	10. Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a hard time coming to terms with your findings, and even harder to decide who to tell first.

Bucky knew something was wrong the second you walked into the living room after you came back from your father’s office. He was smart enough not to ask you what you found, but he was itching for more information.   
More importantly, however, he wanted to make sure you were ok. Your skin was suddenly all too pale and your eyes too glassy for you to be ok, and he had a feeling that it wasn’t about the contract either.   
Bucky could see that your brothers noticed as well, especially Adam, who looked like he would burst any second during the family time. Your father, however, had a smug smile on his face, completely unaware of things happening around him. And for that, Bucky hated him even more. He was so smug he didn’t even care that his daughter was sitting there, trying her best not to cry.   
The same went for your mother. Bucky didn’t understand that even more. That your father was a scheming asshole was obvious, but he couldn’t comprehend how your mother could be so cold towards you.   
From what Bucky understood, your mother never stood up for you, it always had to be your brothers. He knew you and your mother had always had a complicated relationship, your mother inclining towards your brothers much more, but this was something else. Something more.   
The second you said your goodbyes, nodding at your brothers that you’d call them when you felt like it, and the two of you were alone in the car, you took in a ragged breath, and your whole body started shaking.   
Bucky backed the car from the parking lot in front of you parents’ house as quickly as he could and handled the car on the road, before he looked over at you, seeing you playing with your hands.

“What did you find there, Y/N?” He asked as gently as he could, but his voice still startled you.   
You shook your head at him, and he knew he had to shut up, although the curious part of him was dying to find out.   
Meanwhile, you wanted to share what you found out, you really did. But you weren’t sure who to tell?   
Sure, you could just talk your heart out to Bucky, and you were sure he’d actually listen to you, but that didn’t seem fair to you.   
Not even for all the things that have happened in the past, but for a completely different reason.   
If you weren’t your father’s daughter, as the document clearly said, did that mean that Adam wasn’t either? Or was it possible that the two of you grew together in a womb but still didn’t share the same sperm donor?  
After all, it was just your name on the document, not Adam’s, and the tension between him and your father has been there far longer than the date on the paper.   
It said your father knew about this for 4 whole years. And it all suddenly started to make sense.   
Not that your father wasn’t an asshole even before, but from what you could remember, it was around 4 years ago that he started to be especially distant, and started to keep you at arm’s length, giving you the occasional bruise or two.   
So what? Did he find out that you weren’t his daughter and all the love he had for you evaporated from his body? Just like that? You were disgusted by him.   
You appreciated Bucky’s silence, although you could guess that it was eating him alive. But you just couldn’t figure out what to do. Because all your mind was now circling around was the fact your father wasn’t your father and that you have lived in a lie for your whole life.   
But then you felt as if a bulb lit up above your head.   
—-

You came home, and you took a shower, trying to gather your thoughts and prepare all the facts you felt like you’ve collected. First thing you did was calling your brothers telling them that you’d explain everything later,   
As much as you’d love to tell them everything now, you weren’t sure what the truth about Adam was, and even without it, you would throw quite a big bomb of information at them. And you felt like you should tell at least one person before you had to face your brothers.   
Even though you were pissed at Bucky, hurt and humiliated by him, he was your partner in crime during these times. Your brothers weren’t fondest of him, and, hell, you weren’t either, but deep down, you knew he wasn’t the devil here. And that you could trust him with this.   
When you walked into the living room, Bucky was patiently sitting on the couch with a whiskey in his hand. It was a long day even for him, being surrounded by so many people and children, and, on top of it, being close to your father must have drained even his energy.   
You poured yourself a glass of your favourite wine and sat down next to him, crossing your ankles and making yourself as comfortable as it would get.  
“So,” you started, and Bucky mirrored your seating position, facing you, “ I didn’t find the contract, and I honestly have no idea where it could be. But I did find something. I didn’t have my phone with me, so I don’t have physical proof of this, but, please, believe what I tell you,” you said in a shaky voice, and Bucky just nodded, not daring to even move not to startle you.   
“I found a DNA test with my name on it. I looked into it, and it said that I’m not my father’s daughter,” you sprinted through the words so that it would be off your chest.   
It was quiet after that, but not for long.

“How are you feeling?” Bucky asked sweetly, and you suddenly let yourself feel the weight of the revelation. You weren’t your father’s daughter. Despite him doing everything in his power to ruin your life, you still never thought he wasn’t your biological dad. And there still were some fond memories of him when you were a child.   
And so you let it all out. You sobbed loudly, and before you knew it, your cheeks were wet from your tears, your whole body shaking from the intensity of your sobs.   
Bucky was quick to move, as he skidded towards you on the couch, bringing you into his lap and stroking your back. He didn’t say anything, just let you bawl your eyes out on his shoulder. You clutched his t-shirt in your hand as if your life depended on it.   
When you were done, you realised the position you were currently at, but couldn’t care less. Bucky was just making sure you were ok, and you couldn’t be mad at him at the moment.   
“But, there is one thing that I realised that comes with that,” you continued when you were sure your voice was strong enough again.   
“And what is that, doll?” Bucky whispered against your hair, but let you pull away when he felt your hand pushing against his chest slightly.   
You still weren’t ready to leave his lap, but you wanted to look him in the eyes when you told him.

“The contract said that our fathers could stay in the leading positions of the company only if they united the families, right? But the document just proved that it didn’t happen. I’m not my father’s daughter, which means that the contract is invalid. He didn’t adopt me, not that I know of, and so he legally has no right to claim me as his offspring, right?”   
Bucky’s face momentarily lit up at the thought of it, but he realised that although it was good news, it still meant you didn’t know who your father was, and so he shouldn’t be too excited about the prospect of things.   
“We would still have to do another such test so that we have a proof of our own, but you’re definitely right. What bothers me is why, when your father knew you weren’t his daughter, why did he still push us together? And why the hell do they want us to have a fucking child?” Bucky mused, and you shrugged your shoulders, knowing you didn’t have the answer to either of the questions.   
“I honestly don’t know. But the good news is that we have something to build on, even if we don’t have the contract, yet. I just hope there isn’t a clause that would claim that it also counted that I’m my mother’s daughter,” you mumbled, and Bucky nodded once again.   
There were still too many questions, but now, at least, there was hope within the two of you. Hope that you could prove the contract invalid and get rid of the two scheming men, both from your lives and from the company.   
—-

You woke up feeling weird. You were both too hot and too uncomfortable to have fallen asleep in your own, very comfy bed. You tried to open your eyes, but the crying and the alcohol the night before made it almost an impossible task.   
Still, you fought it, and after what felt like the 100th time, you succeeded. You took in your surroundings, realising that indeed, you weren’t in your room and that you were still in the living room. The hot feeling around you was most probably caused by the man lying beside you on the couch, under your plush blanket.   
You could feel Bucky stir beside you, and then heard a groan probably caused by the same two things that made you wake up moments ago.   
“What the hell?” You heard him say, and you had to chuckle at that.   
You two were trying to find ways to get hold of the contract, trying to figure out where it could be hidden, and obviously were too tired to climb the stairs to your beds, so you fell asleep on one couch, covered by one blanket.

After a moment of a warm feeling spreading through your body, you willed it to move from Bucky and to go and make you two a breakfast from whatever was left in the fridge. You settled for an omelette, and Bucky§s grumbling stomach seemed to have been forever thankful to you.   
You ate in silence, both of you too comfortable to ruin the moment with your speaking, and with the pending reality. It was all getting too real, especially your conversation with your brothers that would happen today, and which you dreaded more than you cared to admit.   
Bucky told you he’d love to be there with you, but that he had to go back to the office. Despite all this chaos, he was still the CEO on the paper, and he had to act like on.   
You reassured him that you were completely fine talking to your brothers, and although you weren’t ecstatic about the whole thing, you could do it without him. You couldn’t get too dependent on him, because there would come a time, and it would obviously be sooner than later, that you’d have to say your goodbyes and go your own ways.   
Because that was the deal, right? To take care of the contract and then Bucky would sign the divorce papers. It was what you wanted. Right…


	11. Something Fishy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You tell your brothers the whole truth, and on your way from Thomas’ apartment, you bump into an old friend. Or rather, an old enemy.

The drive to Thomas’ apartment was long. Excruciatingly so, if you were being frank with yourself. You took this drive so many times in the past, and although it took almost an hour to get from the house to Thomas’, now it felt like days you had to spend in the car.   
You knew they would all be there, you asked all three of your brothers to come and listen to what you had to say. They were all alarmed by the sound of your voice, trying to make you come sooner, but you had to get your mind straight.   
Not that you missed James or anything like that, but in the last few days you somehow got used to his closeness, to him being there all the time, so when he suddenly wasn’t, you weren’t sure how to feel about it.   
But that wasn’t important at that moment. The only important thing was to somehow tell your brothers that you weren’t their sister, at least not entirely, and to try and find out whether Thomas was your twin or just a half-brother, or how the hell did this thing work.   
After all, you did find just your own name on the document, not Adam’s. You also knew you’d had to explain everything else to them, and how you thought it all connected to your issue with your marriage, and the still-missing contract.   
You parked the car in front of the building and took a deep breath. You weren’t even sure why the hell you were this nervous. They were your brothers, they would understand everything.

But, the nagging voice in the back of your head, was telling you that, just like your father, they would abandon you and suddenly start hating you. And while not having a real-father figure anymore was devastating, losing the three of them would kill you. There was no doubt in your mind about that.   
They were the only people you trusted unconditionally, especially after all that has been happening in the past year. They were by your side through it all, patient supporters who only ever cared for your happiness and well-being.   
You tried to shake the negative voice from your head, telling yourself to just be prepared for anything and you got out of the car.   
Thomas buzzed you in, and when you ascended the stairs, they were all standing in the door like three fairy godmothers, and you had to chuckle at the sight of them, bumping against one another but still beaming with encouraging smiles.   
They pulled you in a bear group hug and didn’t care that the oxygen didn’t have much space to get to you. They were obviously too glad to see you alive and well for them to care about anything else.   
“You’re choking me,” you wheezed, and it seemed to have done the trick because they all pulled away as if you’ve burnt them. You all laughed, them looking a little guilty, before Thomas bid you to come in and shut the door behind you.   
—-

Finally seated, they gave you encouraging smiles to tell you that you could speak whenever you were ready.   
And so you began. You told them everything from the way you had to look for the contract, and your own stress, and ended by telling them about the DNA test you found.   
You could see them tensing a little, especially Adam but that much you expected. You concluded saying that it was just your name on the folder, so you couldn’t be too sure if it meant your father didn’t have anything to do with the conception of either of the two of you or what came from it.   
“It’s possible that you two are just half-siblings as well, it’s called superfecundation. It would mean that mom had sex around the same time with two different men, dad and whoever fathered you, Y/N, and so you’d share just the womb. But it is very well possible that you have the same father,” Max said with a tight smile.   
There was silence after that, each of you deep in thought, and you tried to discern the emotion evident on each of your brothers’ faces. But despite knowing them all your life, you just couldn’t make out their thoughts. It was too important a topic for you to guess.   
“So what do we do next?” Thomas finally broke the silence and looked around the room expectantly.   
“What possibilities do we have? I mean, we can’t really go to our parents and confront them, because then they’d know that something was going. And we can’t do a paternity test to find out who the father is, because we have no idea who it even might be. The only thing we can do is to see whether the two of you are twins or not,” Max mused, and all of you just nodded your heads.

“Sure, but, how do you feel about it?” you asked cautiously, and you were met with three confused faces.   
“What do you mean, how we feel about it. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we’re pissed dad never said anything when he found out. But that’s about it. I wouldn’t give a damn if you were adopted, Y/N. You’re my little sister, no DNA test can change that. And if dad saw it as a way to treat you like shit, it’s not gonna be Adam who breaks his face,” Thomas said with a smile before he stood up and sat next to you, pulling you into a hug.   
You sobbed immediately, feeling a weight falling from your shoulders, and before you knew it, you were once again sandwiched between all three of your crazy brothers.   
“Why are you crying, pumpkin? Hope you didn’t think we would ever abandon you, you crazy woman. We’re family no matter what any tests say. A family goes beyond blood, and even if it the DNA tests showed that Adam was fathered by the same man as you, it wouldn’t change a thing about how we feel about the two of you,” Max whispered, and you could feel the lump in your throat growing.   
It was only when you felt something wet on your shoulder and looked at Adam, that you realised he was crying as well, and you hugged him that much tighter. You were all in this together, and it was the best feeling in the world. You weren’t alone. And you’d never be.   
—-

The rest of the afternoon was spent in a similar manner, the four of you talking about the possibilities that this revelation opened for you and Bucky and the whole thing with the contract. But besides that, you just bonded. Not seen by people you disliked or in front of whom you tried to save some kind of a face, you could just be yourselves.   
You laughed your asses off, telling each other jokes and memories from early childhood, and you had to admit that you missed this easy conversation.   
Sure, the matters at hand were pressing, and it was best not to underestimate them, but, at the same time, you needed some free time, and to free your mind of all the accusations and implications that were swimming in your head day and night.   
You all had to get back to your daily lives, and so you dispersed but promised each other to meet just like this, in a hate-free zone again soon, because, apparently you weren’t the only who needed to talk your heart out.   
You were leaving the apartment and tried to fish your phone out of your bag when you accidentally bumped into somebody.   
Raising your head, you wanted to apologise, when you stopped in your tracks, seeing who you actually bumped into.   
_Natasha._

You haven’t heard from her since the party, yes, the party, and you didn’t even wish to. She was a traitorous snake in your books, and you tried to keep such people as far away from you as possible.   
But when you looked more closely at her, you could see that there was something wrong with her. Her usual chirpy self, full of laughter and giggles, and flirty looks were replaced by a gloomy-looking face, with her brows furrowed and glassy eyes.   
Despite your judgement, you stopped and caught her elbow before she could continue, because she obviously didn’t even notice somebody hitting her.   
“Are you alright, Natasha?” You asked cautiously, still holding her by her arm.   
She finally seemed to have noticed that something was going on because she frantically looked around before her eyes landed on you. She gasped and jumped away, or as far as your stretched arm would let her.   
“Didn’t see you there, Y/N. Sorry, can I go now?” Natasha asked, and you frowned even more.   
What the hell was going on?

“I don’t mean to stop you from going where you’re going, but it’s been a long time since we saw each other, and I just wanted to make sure you’re ok. Because you don’t look like you are,” you added as you looked at her once again, seeing the blue bag under her eyes.   
She gave you a humourless laugh before she yanked her arm from your grip.   
“You think you’re the best, don’t you? But my god, you’re stupid. Heard you’re trying for a baby with the man who hates you. Wow, good for you, really. He will never love a person coming from a family like yours, mark my words. You’re all full of shit, using other people to get what you want. Like father, like daughter, huh? You make me sick,” she spat, and before you could react to her words, she ran away from where you were frozen to a spot.   
You replayed her words over and over again, not really getting what she said.   
First of all, how did she know that you were trying for a baby? Or, at least, that that was a story you put out there when the only people knowing about all of this were your families.   
Secondly, and more importantly, what the hell was she talking about, saying that you were full of shit, and including your father/not father in the conversation?  
You couldn’t make any sense of it as you sat in the car and drove from Thomas’ apartment building. You were so deep in your thoughts, you drove by heart, pretty much, and before you knew it, you were parking the car in front of the Barnes&Clark headquarters.

You debated whether it was a good idea to get out and go talk to Bucky about what just happened, but you knew you couldn’t wait till he got home in the evening.   
You haven’t been in the company for what felt like centuries, and when you stepped in, cold sweat broke on your skin.   
The main receptionist recognised you immediately, standing up and greeting you with a large (and very fake) smile on her lips, asking you what it was that you wanted. And it wasn’t even the question as such, but the tone and the smile that made you blood boil.   
It didn’t matter you didn’t work there. But for all they knew at the company, you were the old CEO’s daughter and the new CEO’s wife. And they should treat you accordingly.   
“I’m here to see my husband if it’s not too much to ask,” you said in an overly sweet voice, and the woman in front of you obviously clenched her jaw.   
“Of course, let me call him to tell him that you have decided to come by,” she said in a very similar matter, and you just nodded at her.   
“Mr Barnes, I’m very sorry to bother you, but your wife has decided to come by the office, and I just wanted to ask, whether you wished me to send her home, or-“   
She couldn’t even finish the sentence before you heard Bucky’s voice from the other side of the line, and even though the speaker you could hear he was pissed.   
The woman just nodded and almost bowed at the phone before she hung up, gave you a tight smile and led you to the elevator.   
You chuckled under your breath and left her standing in the lobby as you let the elevator take you to the highest ground.   
Bucky was waiting for you by the elevator, clearly distraught by your coming to visit him.   
“Are you alright? Did something happen to you?” Bucky rambled, and you gave him a soft smile before you motioned your head to his office, letting him know that whatever you were there to discuss shouldn’t be heard by anybody else left in the office.

He nodded and slung his arm around your shoulders, leading you towards his office, and leaving the people in the main room staring at the two of you as if they saw a ghost. It wasn’t every day that the wife came by the office, and they all seemed pretty shocked at the sole prospect of you actually existing.   
When Bucky shut the door behind you two, you saw down on the nearest chair and breathed out.   
“Are you hurt, Y/N?” Bucky asked once again, and kneeled in front of you, trying to inspect you for some visible damage.   
“I’m fine, James. It’s nothing like that. I just bumped into Natasha on my way from Thomas and-“  
“Natasha? The hell was that bitch doing in front of your brother’s apartment?” Bucky asked with bewilderment laced in his voice.   
“I don’t think it was planned, James. She looked like shit, and she wouldn’t even notice me if I didn’t stop her and talked to her. And she said the weirdest thing then, and I guess I just wanted to tell you right away,” you breathed out, and Bucky took a chair to sit in front of you, his hand lingering on your knee.   
If it was for your support or to keep himself grounded, you weren’t sure.

“She said that I was stupid to think you’d ever care for me, and even more stupid for trying for a baby with you. And then she said that I, just like my father, am using people to get what I want and that she is disgusted with me. And I have no idea what the fuck could she mean by that,” you mused.   
Bucky frowned and obviously thought about it for a moment.   
“She is obviously in contact with somebody from either of your families because those were the only ones who know about the baby thing. And the second one… I’m honestly not sure, but I think it’s time we do something with all of that,” he said with a smile, and you just gave him a confused face.   
“I think it’s time we go and visit Natasha, and ask hereabout her involvement in this whole charade, because there obviously is some, when she tried to jump my bones at that party, and now she’s telling you this. We just have to find how involved she really is,” Bucky said and gave your knee a final pat before he got up and packed his things.   
“But before we do that, we gotta go home and have a good night’s sleep. We’ll need that energy,” he smiled, and you followed suit despite the uneasy feeling in your stomach. You knew he was right and that you had to take more steps to uncover the truth. You just weren’t sure if you were ready to find out.


	12. Pieces of the Puzzle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Bucky confront Natasha and get to know the motives behind her actions. Then, an unexpected help turn themselves in.

Struggling to remain calm, you pressed start on your coffee maker and watched as the machine got to work, preparing you one of your favourite poisons. It was almost 9 AM, and Bucky promised to be at home by then. He told you the night before that he’d go with you to Natasha’s to find out what the hell was her little speech about, but he needed to go to the office first.   
You understood him, you really did. But that didn’t mean you were happy that you had to wait for him while being restless and nervous.   
You knew that you should calm down, if not for anything else, at least for the sake of letting Natasha speak and not killing her the very second you saw her again. Bucky wouldn’t let you do it, you were sure, and just the thought of them together again made bile gather in your throat.   
The last time you saw them, they both looked properly fucked, and even though you had a strong dislike for Bucky, the sight made your heart clench.   
And the idea that you would have to undergo that once again made you even angrier than moments ago.   
Unfortunately for Bucky, it was that very moment that he decided to burst through the door with a timid smile on his face. But when he saw your pursed lips and wrinkled forehead, the smile fell off his lips, and he stepped closer to you.

  
“Morning, Y/N. Are you alright?” He asked, and you could hear the restraint in his voice, trying not to sound too pushing.   
You just grumbled and turned around to take the coffee in your hand, because you knew if you had to explain your sour mood, you meant, really explain it, Bucky wouldn’t understand. Hell, you didn’t understand yourself, so how could he?  
But from the looks of it, he wouldn’t let the issue go so easily.   
He touched your forearm gently, trying not to surprise you too much, while letting you know he was there with you, for you.   
You sighed and turned back around to face him, and he just raised his brows in question, trying to make you talk as gently as he could.   
“I’m nervous because I just want to have this whole thing over with, and I feel like whenever we take one step forward, we immediately take two steps back, you know? And Natasha is such a snake, I don’t even wanna talk to her,” you mumbled the last part and took a sip of your coffee.   
Bucky watched you for a bit before he reached for your coffee and put in the counter, making you give him a confused look. He continued on to take your hands and wrap them around his torso, pulling you into his chest.

  
You struggled for a bit, not really sure if you should be this close to him, but, after a while, you relented and let him soothe your mind.   
Bucky didn’t say anything, he just held you tight until he felt your body melting against his and the stress evaporating from your pores. When he was sure you wouldn’t have a meltdown, he pulled away and patted your shoulder, not really trying his luck with a kiss.  
You didn’t say anything about the whole thing that just happened and just gave Bucky a smile and finished your coffee, before both of you walked out of the front door, on your way to Natasha’s.   
You were starting to feel like all the car-rides you and Bucky ever took were silent and tense ones, because, once again, you were both buried in your thoughts, neither of you sharing with the other. Not that you particularly mind, but you wouldn’t be mad if Bucky tried to fill the silence with some small talk.   
He was too deep in his thoughts to even care, or so he seemed, and you let it go, thinking about all the things you wanted to ask Natasha, and about all the possible outcomes this little trip might have.   
You knew you couldn’t start yelling at her because that would get you nowhere, even though it would make you super happy. What would make you even happier, though, would be smashing her head through some cabinet, or a table, or something like that. Just for the fun of things.   
But you knew that was out of the question as well, because, well, bloody and in hospital, she would probably not give you any more information than with the yelling option.   
So you had to rely on yours and Bucky’s negotiating skills, and you hoped Bucky was well-trained thanks to his leadership position in the company because your skills were rusty. To say the least.   
—-

  
When you felt the car stopping gradually, you looked outside and sighed, gathering the last pieces of your confidence and patience and got out of the car, Bucky hot on your tail.   
You buzzed on the doorbell and waited for any kind of reaction from Natasha.   
“Who is it?” She barked through the speaker, and you seriously questioned your motives for ever being a friend with her in the first place. She was a total bitch, there was no doubt about it.   
“It’s me, Y/N and Bucky. We would like to talk to you, please,” you said in your best pleading voice, and Bucky had to stifle a laugh at how obviously fake that was.   
There was a moment of silence before you could hear the buzzing sound of somebody opening the door, and you didn’t waste another second, lest she changed her mind.   
You wanted to climb the stairs, but Bucky pushed you behind him protectively. You gave him a raised eyebrow, and he just shrugged, not caring to explain himself.   
Rolling your eyes, you let it slide and ascended the stairs behind him, trying to keep in mind to stay calm and collected.   
Natasha was standing in her doors, looking like the God of revenge himself with her pissed-off face and crossed arms over her chest.   
“What can I do for you, lovebirds?” She smirked, and all the calm just went swoosh from your mind and body.   
The stupid smirk on her face pretty much called for you to slap it away, but Bucky’ hand gripped yours, and he squeezed so tightly so actually thought about telling him to cool it off.   
“We have some questions, and we feel like you’re the only one who can answer them for us,” Bucky said sweetly, too sweetly for your liking, but you let it slide as Natasha measured the two of you before nodding for you to follow her.

  
“What is it? Wanna take revenge on daddy for the party?” She laughed, and you and Bucky exchanged confused looks before you turned to her again.   
“We just wanna know why you tried to do what you did, and if you have any sort of information about our dads, that’s all,” Bucky remarked, and Natasha just scoffed.   
“So what, you finally realised that daddy has been playing games with you this whole time and wanna retaliate?” She asked again, and this time it was you answering her.   
“What if we do? Wanna help us? Yesterday, you sounded pretty pissed at my father.”  
She just hummed and stood up, marching away and leaving the two of you alone.   
Bucky’s hand was still gripping yours, although not as tight as before, and when he went to remove it from your lap, you didn’t let him. You felt good like that, even if it was an illusion created by your brain, he was the safer option of all the possibilities in this mess, and you wanted to have that stability, at least for now.   
He smiled at you a little and went to say something, but that was when Natasha returned with a tray with three glasses of water on it.   
“I don’t know much, to be honest, just what your father either blatantly told me or what I somehow figured on my own. Look, your father thought I might be of help when he saw me at your wedding because he saw me eyeing Bucky. That’s just a fact, so don’t get all riled up, sweetie,” she added, pointedly looking at you and your angry face.   
You nodded and bit the inside of your cheek, preventing yourself from speaking out or screaming. Or both at the same time.   
“Well, he told me that he could use a pretty face like mine, and all I had to do was to snitch on you. I realised fairly soon that you didn’t want to confine in me as much since you married him, but still, it was some valuable intel, at least your father thought so. 

  
When he thought that you weren’t suffering enough, or that you were trying to get out of the marriage and stop being the good girl you were supposed to be, he told me to push harder. So I tried to seduce you, Bucky, but you pushed me away. That didn’t stop me from making it look as if we fucked, and I played my part.   
Your father then told me that that was all he needed from me, that he just wanted to see you broken and sad, but still by Bucky’s side and that my little theatre helped the cause. When he should pay, however, he told me he wouldn’t do it because I was just another whore, and he pulled out a folder of my personal information, things not even my friends knew and told me he’d use it against me if I ever spoke to him again. And that was the end of the story, literally,” she finished and took a sip of her water.   
You weren’t even that shocked anymore. After finding out all those things, knowing that your father used one of your friends to spy on you was not a crazy revelation.   
But the fact he presumably did everything in order to hurt you but to still keep the two of you together, that spoke volumes.   
It seemed like one of the crucial clues in a detective show, and when you looked over at Bucky, you knew he was thinking the same exact thing.   
The question now was, why the hell did he need you two together so desperately? You knew he loved seeing you suffer, but that couldn’t be all. There had to be something more to it, something that might be written in the damn contract. 

  
The only problem was that it was still nowhere to be found, and you and Bucky were running out of places to look.  
“I’m not gonna apologise for what I did, that’s not my style, but if you finally make him snap, make sure he gives me the money he owes me, or, at least, that he deletes all those things he has to on,” Natasha said, and you rolled your eyes inwardly.   
The bitch just told you she pretty much wanted your husband for herself, that she spied on you this whole time while acting like a friend, and you would do her a favour? Right…  
But before you could throw a tantrum, Bucky took your hand and stood up, making you stand up next to him.   
“We’ll see what we can do. Thank you for the information, we both appreciate it,” Bucky smiled tightly and started to walk away, but Natasha caught your elbow.   
“What changed? The two of you looked like you were ready for a divorce, and now, you’re holding hands and whatnot,” she frowned, and you cast your eyes to the floor.   
“I was acting like the world’s biggest douche, and now I’m trying to make it up to my wife. I didn’t know what I had before she was almost snatched away from me. So now I just need to make sure she knows just how special she truly is,” Bucky looked over at you, and when he saw you blushing, he chuckled lightly.   
“Natasha, I hope you’re not gonna go running to our fathers and tell them about this meeting,” Bucky added and for the first time, he looked at Natasha with a purpose.   
She shrunk in her place and shook her head slightly.   
“Don’t worry, I don’t owe him shit, so this stays here. But don’t come around too often, we’re not that kind of friends,” she laughed, and you just scoffed as Bucky pretty much dragged you out of there.   
“We’re no friends at all, but thanks,” you tried to be as polite as you could as you nodded at her and she nodded back, closing the door behind the two of you.   
—-

  
Back in the car, you two talked about the possible reasons behind your fathers’ actions but could find none, or at least none that seemed at least a bit plausible.   
You couldn’t help it, but looked over at Bucky and smiled a little.   
“So, I’m special, huh?” You asked with feigned innocence, and Bucky chuckled under his breath.   
“You most definitely are, doll. And just because I’m a blind idiot, doesn’t make you any less special. There will be a guy one day who won’t have wool over his eyes, and who will see right away just how great you are, and will treat you accordingly,” Bucky hummed softly, and you had to fight the tugs on your heart.   
Him talking about another guy, that didn’t sit well with you. 

  
Your brain and your heart were at war because of this man, and you didn’t know what to do. Your brain told you to run away as far as possible because he hurt you once, and he would do it again. But your heart wanted to stay, snuggle in his side and just stay there, forever. And you weren’t sure which part was winning, nor which was right.   
You were about to say something, when you felt your phone buzzing, signalling you received a text message.   
That cleared your head, and you were glad for the distraction before you said something you could have regretted.   
Reaching for your purpose you rummaged in it for a second before you pulled out your phone, unlocking it and frowning immediately.   
Unknown number: I have something I need to tell you. Meet me tomorrow at 10 AM, at the Royal Café. Come alone. It’s only for you to hear. Mom  
You stared at the screen in shock, trying to decipher what the hell was going on.   
“Y/N? Y/N, what is it? You’re starting to scare me, doll,” Bucky said, his voice laced with worry.   
“I have a message from an unknown number, but the person signed as mom, and they are telling me to come to a café tomorrow, and to come alone,” you said out loud, still not believing what you were reading.   
“What? Like hell you’re going there alone! What if it’s some kind of a trap and somebody’s gonna hurt you? You’re not going,” Bucky seethed, and you slumped further into the car seat. 

  
You were thinking the same exact thing, but your gut was telling you to go and see for yourself.   
“I think I have to go, Bucky. What if it’s really mom and she knows something, and she could connect the dots for us?”   
“Yeah, that would be awesome. But what if it’s some hired assassin and they’re gonna kill you there, huh? What then?”   
You sighed and looked out from the window. You knew this was an impossible choice, but something was telling you that it was legit, that this was really your mom. You just had to persuade Bucky to let you go alone.


	13. Mother Knows Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Bucky have a minor fight, and you decide that the message is too important not to go there. Bucky is of quite different opinion. Still, you go.

“You can’t be serious, Y/N,” Bucky exclaimed as he threw his arms into the air, looking like the little devils that jump out of the boxes. If it wasn’t such a critical situation, you would actually laugh at him.   
But you couldn’t because he was being stupid, just like always.   
“Oh, c’mon, like you haven’t thought of it? I know it might be a bit dangerous, but still, I need to go there, James. Even if this person isn’t my mother, it might give us some kind of clue to what we’re dealing with. You have to think of it this way,” you huffed and rolled your eyes at him.   
“Of course, I thought of it this way, but right it is more important that you stay safe rather than what might be an operation where you risk your damn life!” He was screaming now, the vein on his forehead pumping and you were kinda worried that his head would blow up.   
You took a calming breath because you were seconds away from screaming as well. But when you see him huffing and puffing his chest, you just lost it.   
“Why the hell do you think you have any right to tell me what to do, huh? You made my life a living hell for a fucking year, and now you’re what, my sworn protector? Cut the bullshit, James. I’m going, and there is nothing you can do about it,” you screeched, and Bucky stopped in his tracks, looking up at you with sadness in his eyes.   
You knew you stroke a cord, and you did it quite purposefully. He had no right telling you where you could go, or try and act as if he cared when he was able to put you through such hell without a blink of an eye.

His eyes fell between his shoulders, and he sat on the nearest couch, his palms on his face as he probably contemplated about it all.   
You knew it was a low blow, but you couldn’t help yourself.   
“You’re right, Y/N, I have no right to tell you what to do. And we’re in this mess mostly because of me, so I don’t want you to get hurt any more than you already have just because of me. I can’t live with myself as is, and I wanna be selfish and hide you away from the world and find a time-travelling machine so I can undo it all. And you getting hurt is not in the plans,” he sighed as he rubbed his temples, still not looking at you.   
You bit your cheek and walked towards him until you were standing right in front of me.   
“Look at me, Bucky,” you whispered, and his head whipped to you the second he heard his nickname on your lips.   
“You’ve made plenty of mistakes, but we’re in this mess because of my, or our fathers, I’m not sure anymore. We can’t turn back the clock, all we can do is to move on and try to make the most of being alive and well. But you gotta trust my gut, Bucky. I know it sounds crazy but, I know that we will learn a lot from this meeting,” you tried to give him an assuring smile, but weren’t sure if it worked, because all Bucky did was stare at you, not even blinking.   
He then stood up and outstretched his arm, letting his fingers graze the skin on your forearm.   
“I trust you, I just don’t trust those assholes, that’s all. But you’re right, we might learn valuable things tomorrow, but I will be there. And before you fight with me, I will be sitting hidden in a car nearby, just in case you needed me. You will go in alone and all of that, but I need to be sure I’m not sending you for slaughter,” he smiled and bid his goodnight before disappearing in his rooms upstairs.

You were left standing in the living room, staring at the place he stood just moments ago. There was no fighting him, you knew that much, and deep down you were glad he would be there. In a situation such as this one, you couldn’t be too careful, because you felt like shit was really gonna hit the fan.   
You just hoped all the mess would miss the two of you.   
—-

The morning was filled with anxiety, and so much tension, you could actually cut it with a blunt knife. Bucky was pacing around the room, while you couldn’t even stomach your typical morning coffee.   
He didn’t start a fight again, but you could see the internal struggle he was having not to do it. You didn’t like it any more than he did, you were sure of it. Especially since it was your ass that would be in first-hand danger.   
But somebody had to do it, and if it was your mom, and she did have some information, even if it was only about your biological father, it could really give a heads-up on your dad. Of course, it could be a trap, and you were willingly walking right into it, but you tried to dismiss thoughts like this.   
The person wanted to meet you at a very public place, which gave you a fleeting sense of safety. At least they couldn’t kill you or punch you in front of all those people right away, and if it all should go sideways, maybe it would give Bucky the time to reach you and help you.   
But you had to stop having these negative thoughts because the only thing it did was that your hands started sweating, while your heart was hammering in your chest. You had to be brave, and Bucky had to let you be brave.

When it was time to go, you both sat in the car and drove in silence, Bucky’s hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were starting to turn white. You were afraid that if he applied any more pressure, the wheel would snap in half and both of you would die in a car crash.   
Your anxious brain was now just creating deadly scenarios, and you had to shush it with a force that would shush a whole class of pre-schoolers.   
“Remember, I won’t be far, so if you need anything, just-“   
“I will text you as soon as I sit down, and you said yourself that you’ll be in such position so you could see inside to see yourself if I need your help or not. Calm down, everything will be alright. I bet it’s gonna be fine,” you tried to sound self-assured, but even you could hear that it wasn’t as convincing as you aimed for.   
Bucky’s hand left the steering wheel, and it enveloped your hands in your lap, giving them a light squeeze.   
The funny thing was that you were both incredibly nervous, but for the sake of each other, you tried to look and sound positive and optimistic. You were both failing miserably, but that wasn’t important.

“You’ll be great, and besides, it will be over soon. The second you see something suspicious, you run out of there, and we will drive away, alright?”   
You nodded and gulped, seeing you were pulling by the café.   
“Just don’t go anywhere,” you whispered, feeling your resolve fading away and being replaced by jitters.   
“I won’t, everything will be fine,” Bucky whispered as he gave your hands final squeeze, and let you get out of the car with the uneasy feeling spreading not only through your body but also through his.   
He hated watching you leave the car but knew that there was no going back now. Bucky would have to sit through the whole meeting, his eyes glued to the window of the café, not being able to do anything.   
But he knew that the second he saw some shit going down, he’d go in for you. Because there was no way in hell, he’d let you suffer again. He made you go through hell and back, and he wouldn’t let you do that again.   
—-

As you walked in, you looked around the room, trying to find some familiar face. And when your eyes found it, you realised a breath you knew all too well you were holding in.   
You strode towards the table occupied by a single person, and sat in front of them, with your eyes on exit, just to be on the safe side.   
“Mum,” you breathed out as you looked your mother in the eyes.   
She gave you a nod and took a sip of her coffee, and you could see how her hands were trembling. Your systems were running on the highest level, and you tried to calculate the possible danger.   
You quickly took your phone and shot a quick text to Bucky, just saying “OK”, hoping that he’d understood he didn’t have to storm in just yet.   
“Hello, dear. Thank you for meeting me on such short notice, and alone, as I asked,” your mother gave you a tight smile, which was either very fake or very nervous.   
“Sure, so what’s this all about? You weren’t too specific in the text you sent me yesterday, and from a burner phone, might I add,” you said with raised brows, and your mother just nodded thoughtfully.   
“I didn’t want your father to find out that I was texting you, that’s all. He keeps tabs on me, and I can’t be too safe,” she murmured, and you would have felt bad for her, if it wasn’t for all those years she stood by as he acted like a total douche to you.   
“What do you wanna tell me, mum?” You sighed and waved at the bartender to order a coffee for yourself since your stomach stopped doing backflips.   
She patiently waited till the girl who took your order was gone before she leaned in and grabbed the hand you had on the table.   
The touch alone was pretty weird since you and your mother didn’t have this touchy-feely kind of relationship, but you let it slide because she did look she had something important to tell you.

“So, I realise I should’ve told you earlier, but I have some news about your father,” she started, and you nodded, trying to will your face to look as natural as it could. You still weren’t sure on which side she stood, and you could never be too safe.   
“Your father isn’t your biological father, Y/N. What I mean is that Roger Clark is not your real father. You and your brother were fathered by somebody else,” her lower lips trembled, and she was seconds away from crying, so you squeezed the hand intertwined with hers on the table, and tried to give her a reassuring smile for her to continue.   
And after a few calming breaths, she did. “It wasn’t meant to happen, you have to understand. And I genuinely believed you and Adam were Roger’s. But he’s had some suspicions, apparently, and did a DNA test a few years ago, which revealed the truth. He hasn’t been the same since,” she gulped and trained her eyes, which were filling with tears, to the ground.   
“So, who is our father?” You asked patiently, not really knowing what else to ask.   
“Before I tell you, you got to understand that your father is a difficult man to live with, sometimes. I love him, but his temper can get the better of him, as I know you know, and there were times that I felt so incredibly alone, and your biological father has always been so nice to me, and so helpful to the whole family, that I just gave in. I regretted it, I really did, but when I realised you and Adam were conceived from this “accident” I realised it was all meant to be, and I wouldn’t change a thing, trust me,” she sobbed.   
You exhaled and fished in your purse for the tissue to hand to your mother. She looked grateful as she took them from you and wiped her face before she continued.   
“When your father found out the truth, well, when we both did, something snapped in him, pumpkin. He beat the soul out of me because he couldn’t stand that I, of all people, slept with somebody else and betrayed his trust this way.

And then he started to take it on you. I wanted to step in, I really did, but when I tried talking to him, he told me that if I ever stand against him, he will hurt you so much there won’t be anything for me to take care of when he was done with you.   
So I figured, it was better for you to sport a few bruises, and have your brothers come and fend for you, rather than ending up dead in a ditch because of me,” she hissed and looked at the ground ashamed.   
And as much as you tried to be calm and collected, and just listen to her side of the story, this shook you to the bone. Roger Clark was a ruthless, heartless person, and he wouldn’t stop at anything. That much was evident now.   
“Then you married Bucky, and I thought he’d let go of it, but he came to me and told me about how he planned it all, and how he just tried to make your life a living hell. How he manipulated Bucky and also George, to a certain extent, to make them believe you were this crazy person who needed to be stopped.   
He wanted to make me and your biological father see that he had your life in his hands. He even wanted you to have a child so that your fate was forever sealed. And when I saw how miserable you were with Bucky, I had to say something,” she exclaimed so loudly, you had to shush you because people were starting to look at the two of you.   
You looked at her, and no longer saw a scheming person or your father’s pawn. You saw a broken woman who didn’t know what to do and just tried to do the right thing.  
“Where does he think you are right now?” You asked, referring to your father… or whoever he was.   
“He’s at some meeting and knows I like going to the city this time of day, so he won’t be suspicious. I’m so sorry, Y/N,” she almost whined, and you nodded, letting it all brew in your head.

“Does my biological father know of me?” You inquired, and she just nodded in shame.   
“He does, but not for long. He always thought you were Roger’s, and when I asked him to step back after the few nights, he did. He has a wife now and a child on his own, but when he found out what has happened, he tried to help both you and your brother, but your father found out, and things weren’t nice,” she winced at the memory, and you wanted to probe her more, but knew this wasn’t the time.   
“Do you know about the contract, mum?” You asked after a while when you were sure she calmed down enough to be able to talk again.   
“Everything I know is that he came home one day, and said that he found a loophole at how to keep the company, but he didn’t say more. And I can’t ask about anything, so I couldn’t demand him to tell me what the hell was going on,” she quipped, and you smiled at her.   
“So, who is this biological father of mine?”   
“It’s uncle Tony. Tony Stark, my love,” your mother whispered and closed her eyes.   
Now, that came as a shock.

Uncle Tony was a family friend that has been around you ever since you were little. You know your father met him through some business, but that was all about their history you could muster. And suddenly you find out he had an affair with your mother, form which came you and your brother?  
You caught the table as the world around started spinning and the ringing in your ears became almost unbearable.   
You knew the signs, you were having a panic attack.   
Your breath came in short huffs, your vision was blurred, and cold sweat covered your forehead.   
You could vaguely hear your mother calling your name, but you couldn’t bring yourself back to reality. It was the buzzing in your hand that finally snapped you out of it, and when you looked at it, you saw Bucky’s name on the screen.   
Picking up without thinking, you listened to his voice and let your heart and mind calm down in unison.   
“You alright, doll? You’ve been there for quite some time, and I just wanted to make sure everything was alright,” he rambled, and you sighed, silencing him immediately.   
“‘M fine, thanks. It’ll take me a bit more time, and then I’m out of here,” you mumbled and hung up.  
“I’m sorry, I zoned out, or something,” you quickly said to your mother, and she just nodded, eyeing you and the phone in your hand curiously.   
“Why didn’t he tell me? I mean, if he knew and Roger threatened you, couldn’t he tell us?”  
“No, because your father told him the same thing. And Tony loves you, sweetheart, both of you. And we both know that when your father takes something into that thick skull of his, there is no way of talking him out of it,” she sighed.  
You knew she was right because his resolve was almost unbreakable. The only thing he ever actually cared about was his reputation and the company. Which gave you an idea.   
“Don’t you know where he keeps important things? Apart from the office at home,” you added, and she just raised her brow at you, leaving the obvious question be.   
“There are also some documents in our bedroom. He always says that nobody would even think of looking there,” she mused, and you smirked.   
You had him!

“Whatever you want to do, Y/N, you need to be careful. If he finds out about any of this, he will kill us both,” she quipped, and a shiver ran down your spine because you knew she was right. You now realised that he wouldn’t give a damn about either of you just vanishing into thin air, and he still thought that neither would Bucky and George.   
Good, he was still in the blind, and you intended to keep him there.   
“Don’t worry, mum. Thank you for telling me all of this, it really helped me. Is there a place you can go quickly if I ask you to?” You asked, and she thought for a moment.   
“I guess I could go to your aunt Maggie’s place. Why? And what?” She was confused, and you weren’t surprised.   
“I’m not sure, and it might not happen at all, I just wanted to know. Look, mum, if I ever text you just the words “Endgame” I need you to get up and leave immediately because shit will go down. Maybe start telling Roger that you want to go and visit aunt Maggie, or something like that so that he doesn’t find it suspicious when you go so suddenly. You’ve been through shit, we both have, and I’m just trying to protect you from it all,” you said with tears in your eyes matching hers, and she nodded quickly.

“Alright, I will. But promise me you’ll stay safe, and that you’ll rely on your brothers. They love you so much, and they would do anything for you, pumpkin.”   
“I will, I promise. Alright, we gotta go. Just keep in mind what I told you, alright?” You smiled and hugged you as soon as you were both standing.   
“I love you, Y/N, and I’m sorry I didn’t do something sooner,” she whispered, and you just nodded.   
“I love you too, mum.”   
And with that, you walked out of the café and towards the car, where Bucky was beside himself with nerves.


	14. Uncle Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You try to stomach all the information your mother has given, while you reach who you thought was your uncle Tony. And the two of you have a heart to heart.

Your whole body started trembling the second you left your mother at the café and went to meet Bucky. You didn’t even realise how nervous and scared you were until it was all over, and all the emotions hit you like a train-wreck.   
You couldn’t even get in the car, because Bucky was standing in front of it and he almost ran to you as soon as you got close.   
His face was contorted in fear and sadness when he saw your state, and he embraced you as soon as he could reach you.   
And when you thought things couldn’t get any worse or weirder, you started crying, your sobs so violent they shook your whole body.   
It wasn’t just what your mother had just told you. No. It was so much more. The weight of all the information you had been gathering for weeks just crashed into you, and you couldn’t take it anymore. You felt like it was you against the world, fighting your way through it but failing miserably.   
However, when you felt the two strong arms tightening around you and Bucky’s voice whispering soothing words into your ear, despite him not knowing what your mother told you, something in your calmed down substantially.

It was like a wave of calm washed over you, leaving you scared and nervous, but at least not completely miserable.   
You pulled away when you felt like facing the world again, and when you looked up, you met the stormy blue eyes looking down at you, and your sobs quieted completely.   
“Wanna talk about it?” Bucky asked, eyebrow perched.   
You just shook your head and created a distance between the two of you to be able to think properly for a second.   
“Nah, let’s get back home so that I can think about everything and I’ll tell you then,” you quipped, and Bucky just nodded before he walked around the car and sat back in the seat he had been sitting at for the previous hour or so. You followed suit and soon after you were on your way back to the house.   
—-

Bucky was anxious, to say the least, but he knew that pushing you would do no good, so he drove in silence, only occasionally glancing over his shoulder to see what emotion was your face wearing. Since it hasn’t changed since you sat down, and it remained on confusion and sadness (Bucky thought), so it only ever took him a second to check on you.   
He didn’t want to be too oppressive, so when he stopped the car in front of the house, and you shot out of it and bolted for the door, he let you without a single question.   
He even had enough time to order pizza from the place you told him about, and changed into something more comfortable, checking his phone and making a few essential phone calls, to make sure the company was still standing.   
It was one of those things that Bucky thought about a lot. If it was another part of the plan of your fathers to keep him away from the company as much as they could while he and you were running around like confused puppies.   
But then he always scolded himself, because there was no way in hell any of what was happening had been planned. It couldn’t be. You uncovered information gradually, and Bucky was pretty sure that had Roger known that you obtained all of it, you two would know because you’d feel his wrath.   
Just the thought of them finding out about your sneaking around sent an uneasy feeling to Bucky’s stomach. He wasn’t afraid for himself, not even in the slightest. But he knew that if your father ever found out, not even Adam and his martial arts would protect you from him. Let alone a man who you could never trust fully, like Bucky.   
It was a good hour later when you finally descended the stairs from your room to the living room and joined Bucky on the couch.   
Bucky thought it was funny because most of your together time was spent either in the car or on that very sofa. Not that he complained, far from it. It meant that the two of you spent at least some time together, and Bucky took what he could get.

“I’m sorry, I just needed to be alone with my brain for a while, so that I could make sense of it all,” you smiled apologetically, and Bucky just nodded.   
“My mum told me everything, and while I’m still a little pissed at her for never trusting me with the information, because, quite frankly, we wouldn’t be in this mess if she had told me, but that’s beside the point. Do you want the short or the long version?” You asked, and Bucky knew you had to know what his answer would be.   
“The long, of course. Tell me everything you’re comfortable with,” he added, because he didn’t want to seem too pressuring, and you smiled at his gentle side.   
Sad, you thought, that he couldn’t be like this during the year, because everything could have been very different had you known he was still the great guy you used to talk to during your childhood.   
You quickly recovered from the little trip down the memory lane, and told Bucky everything, sparing no detail.   
He occasionally nodded, taking your hand when it got obviously too difficult for you to talk and got up when you were all done, and he could finally vent his frustration with the whole thing.

“So you wanna tell me, that Roger has been beating your mother, and wanted to fucking kill you if she spoke up? That’s messed up even for him, Y/N. God, to think that I saw him as a father figure… No surprise that I turned the way I fucking did, with a father and an uncle like that,” Bucky gritted, and to your utter surprise, took the nearest object, a beautiful Grecian urn he inherited from his grandma, and smashed it against the nearest wall.   
You jerked only a little because you somehow saw it coming since those were feelings very similar to yours. Still, you didn’t expect Bucky to throw such a valuable object.   
You were sure he’d regret it later, but for now, he was fuming and pacing the room like a pissed off stallion, and there was no talking to him. Not in this state. Just like you needed a few moments for yourself, you allowed the same to him.   
Getting up quietly, you made your way to the kitchen, just in time for the pizza to arrive. Even the soft conversation between you and the delivery guy didn’t wake Bucky from his current state, and when you looked over at him, you knew it would take more than a moment.  
It was your turn to do stuff around the house, and so you did quick work with the dishes and then sat down and ate a few slices of pizza alone with your thoughts, trying to make sense of it all.

When Bucky finally emerged from the living room, he looked much calmer, and even the colour of his face was back to normal.   
He sat opposite to you and took the plate with pizza from you and ate it slowly, obviously still thinking about the whole thing.   
“You ok?” You asked softly, and his eyes found yours in a question.   
“You’re asking me? I’m pissed for you, but I’m fine. All I wanna do is actually shatter his jaw or a knee, or something like that, to vent my frustration with the whole situation,” he mused, and you just nodded, having the same exact feelings.   
“So, what now? What do you wanna do, Y/N?” Bucky frowned and waited for your reply.   
“I think I wanna talk to Adam, first and foremost, and then I’d like to see Tony and asked him a couple of questions. Because I feel like there is more to it than we think,” you pondered and Bucky put his hand over yours, successfully calming your rising nerves.   
“Alright, you call Adam to meet you here, and I’ll call Tony to come here some hours later, and we can all talk. Sounds good?” Bucky raised from his chair, and you smiled at him gratefully for being on your side and taking part in the whole thing, even though neither of you was sure if this entire revelation had any connection to the missing contract.   
—-

Adam was beside himself when he heard the whole story.   
Not only because who you always thought was your uncle, was, in fact, your biological father but also because what mom told you. Just the mere idea that somebody has been abusing your mother sent Adam into a fit, and it took both you and Bucky together to stop him from flying out of the door and kill Roger right away.   
When he finally calmed down, he was quiet, just like the two of you before, and you let him be as long as he needed. It took him nearly 20 minutes to go back to his usual self, and when he did, he hugged you tight and apologised over and over.   
“Why are you apologising? You’re the one who saved me many times, Adam,” you murmured, a little perplexed as to why he even felt the need to do so.   
“Because I should have done more. I should have cared more, and we wouldn’t be here today. If only I looked out for the signs back there-“   
“Roger hasn’t known for long, Adam. And what happened before that, nobody could tell what was happening, and besides, I’m fine. I might not look it because I’m still shocked, but I’m fine. We now need to speak to Tony and get the whole truth, and then we can plot our revenge,” you gave him a wicked smile, and Adam just chuckled.   
“Now we just need to get some more information from Tony, and then we can muster a plan so that all of us are finally free,” Adam nodded, and let you go from the hug just in time for Bucky to step in to tell you that Tony has arrived.

You and Adam shared a look and went towards the living where Tony was already standing.   
He turned around when he heart your footsteps, and his face showed a mix of emotion; from relief to sadness, to anger, and, ultimately, love.   
Neither of you moved, you just stared at each other as if for the first time. It was like a scene from some Hallmark movie, only this was very much real, and you didn’t know how to handle all those emotions fighting within you.   
And from the way Adam clenched and unclenched both his fists and his jaw, you knew he was feeling the same whirlwind as you did.   
“Y/N, Adam, I’m glad you called,” Tony said, and all you could do was to nod and step closer into the room, sitting down on your favourite couch, while Adam took the armchair nearest to the exit, probably if he needed to take care of his anger elsewhere.   
Bucky sat down next to you, although there was a brief second he doubted he should even be there, but from the look you gave him, he understood you wanted him there.   
What he didn’t understand was that you needed him there. He knew everything, your deepest emotions about the whole thing, and you needed somebody like that there with you.   
While having Adam there was nice, he was on the same boat as you, and he was not the most objective person in the world. That’s why you trusted Bucky to keep an eye on the whole situation, dissolving any arguments that could arise, while also being there as a calming element for you, personally.   
All seated, Tony looked around the room once again and gave you a cracked smile.

“So, I suppose you found out, huh?”  
“Yeah, I found the DNA test and mum confirmed the whole thing to me this morning. I’m sorry it’s all so sudden, but we wanted to deal with it while it’s still fresh,” you added, and Tony just nodded in understanding.   
“But you haven’t spoken to Roger?”   
You and Adam both chuckled dryly, and Tony just raised his brow and smirked, knowing very well that there was no such thing as talking with your father, especially not about stuff like this.   
“Right, so, what do you wanna know?”   
“We would both like to get to know you on a more personal level, truly, but we both feel like it’s not the right time now. So, if you didn’t mind, we’d like to know if you have any idea about the contract in which it is stated that Y/N and Bucky had to marry, or how did you help the company, as our mother mentioned to Y/N,” Adam thought out loud, and Tony just sat straighter, gathering his thoughts before he spoke up again.   
“Look, a few years ago Barnes&Clark were not doing so great. Your fathers, they are just humans, and they made some pretty shitty decisions and got with the wrong people, which then affected the company.   
The short story is, they gambled their ways into hell, pretty much, and long the way they put the company at risk, and the company was almost taken away from them. But I knew how much it meant for both of them, and so I loaned them money, pretty much saved the company, and all I wanted in return was for them to step away from the CEO positions as soon as they found a suitable replacement.   
It was apparent it was going to be one of you, and I didn’t know Y/N and Adam were mine at that time, so when George and Roger came to me with the idea that they would put either of you in that position, I happily agreed, knowing either of you would be good as CEOs.   
And then the whole DNA thing happened, and Roger and I soon realised, independently, that by making you a CEO, Y/N, he would pretty much leave the company to my blood.   
And it enraged him. He came to me and threatened that if I were to either expose him for the gambling issue or to even think about telling you two about anything, he would have hurt Pepper and Morgan.   
I love you both, I do, but you’ve learned to fend for yourself over the years, and Morgan is still so little, and the thought of-“

You had to stop him, or you were afraid you’d be physically sick.  
“We get that, Tony. We would have done the same thing if we were you, trust me,” you mutter and rubbed the bases of your palm on your temples, trying to come to terms with all that information.   
“But why did he want Y/N to marry Bucky?” Adam asked incredulously, obviously not as shaken by the revelation as much as you were.   
“I believe it’s a combination of many things. I think they used it as a loophole for them to stay in charge, and they just needed to make sure that the plan works. Because I don’t think it was a pleasant conversation, trying to establish which one of you should be in the leading position.   
So, I think a part of it is that it was something fair, for you and Bucky both to be involved. However, I think that when he found out about his parentage, he realised that it might be a way to get rid of you, Y/N because now Bucky would be in the leading position, while Y/N would be just a trophy wife he could try to use for his own revenge against your mother and me.   
I’m not sure it’s helpful, but those are my thoughts about the whole thing. And again, I’m really sorry I didn’t have the balls to come looking for you sooner, trying to explain everything and all,” Tony sighed and slumped down on the chair.

The room was silent, filled only with the heavy breathing from all four of you, as realisation dawned on you.   
Your father was a monster, who wanted nothing else than to keep the company to himself and hurt you, your mother and Tony in the process. He didn’t give a damn that people got hurt because of him, that he made Bucky’s life as miserable as yours, that he would be able to hurt a little child.   
No. All he cared about was money and his position in the society as the fair one with a perfect family.   
And you knew you would do everything in your power to destroy this image piece by piece, hurting him where he could feel the most.   
All you needed was to get the contract and find a way to prove that he didn’t unite Clark and Barnes, which would push both him and George from their seats.   
And that was just a start.


	15. Quiet Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony stays for dinner, and you all share a quiet time together, trying to get to know each other from the parent-child point of view. And then there is Bucky.

It took you all a while before you were able to speak and think properly again. Tony was patient with both you and Adam, glancing between you and trying to discern what you were thinking about. But while Adam was somewhere between rage and more rage, you were more on the quiet side.   
You didn’t even know what to feel anymore. Sure, you were pissed as hell that the men that pretty much raised you (although he treated you like a piece of crap) was actually even worse than you could ever imagine.   
But you were also devastated. You knew that you had to take him down. That much was obvious. But that meant dealing with all of that over and over again, while also putting him in jail, which would mean putting the husband of your mum’s and your brothers’ father in prison.   
And it was stupid, sure, because why were you feeling sorry for such a crappy person? But you couldn’t help feeling sorry for all the people that would be influenced by your future actions.

Your brain was flooded with images of everybody while you would tell them all you knew, and your heart sunk for them.   
Trying not to think of your family, you looked at Tony, who wore a sullen face and you felt even more sorry. How hard it must have been for him, knowing that he’s got children with another woman, and when he wanted to help them, this other came in and threatened his baby daughter. Gosh, you tried to fight the tears so hard, but the dam broke when you imagined little Morgan’s face.   
You excused yourself and ran out of the room as quickly as you possibly could. You couldn’t stand being in the room with everybody. The emotions were too much to deal with for you alone, and you didn’t want Adam or Tony to take care of you when they both had to deal with their own feelings, in their own ways.   
So, you left everybody behind and scurried to your room.   
As you tried to close the door, a hand on the wood stopped you from doing so. There wasn’t a doubt in your mind whose hand it was, and so you let Bucky step in without any questioning and closed to the door only after he was in the room behind you.   
No words were spoken as you walked across the room right to him, and collapsed in his outstretched arms, just like you did earlier in the morning when you met your mother. Bucky didn’t need to talk, he was just there, holding you close and listening to your quiet sobs.   
How could the man you thought of as your father be such a monster? How could anyone, for that matter, be such a monster? You thought that shit only happened on TV, and now you suddenly found yourself in the middle of it.

The thought made you laugh hysterically, so much that Bucky actually pulled away and looked down at you with worry laced between his brows.   
“It’s funny, don’t you think? I mean, Roger, my father is the villain of this story, terrorising everybody around him, Tony is the good guy who should have had more screening time, and then there are the two us. People who Roger almost destroyed. Two people who, without his meddling, could have actually end up together, because they were quite fond of each other. But now their hearts are broken, and they have too much other stuff to care about than their own feelings,” you laughed rambling on and on about the shitshow your life had become.   
You were faintly aware that you were speaking nonsense, but you didn’t let that stop you.   
What did make you stop was Bucky’s hands on either side of your head and looking intently into your eyes.   
“Stop it, Y/N. You’re hurting yourself when you talk like this. We’re going to take him down, because yeah, he is the villain but we are the good guys here, or, at least, you are. And I’m going to help you no matter the cost, alright? And life will be so much better for you after that, I promise,” he said in a hushed voice, and you let his words sink in.   
But then you frowned a little.

“Only for me? What about your life? Won’t it be better?”   
Bucky smiled and without thinking, kissed the top of your head and hugged you closer. He didn’t reply, he just held you close and enjoyed the warmth your body was emitting until he felt like you were calm enough to go downstairs again.   
When he pulled away, you wanted to question him again, but he was out of the room before you could even muster a sentence in your head. You frowned at that and made a mental note to ask him about it later when the two other men downstairs no longer occupied your living room.   
It was actually funny because while you lived there as Bucky’s wife the whole year, you never thought of the house as yours. No. It was mostly Bucky’s house that you were pretty much forced to live in. But ever since all the truth started to come out, you sauntered towards the house being your home.   
Which was weird and maybe a little disturbing, because you were supposed to get divorced after all of this was over. And the pang in your chest was telling you all about your own thoughts on that matter. But that would have to be dealt with later, mainly because you didn’t really know how to materialise all of your mixed emotions.   
There was one thing clear though, you deserved a little time-out before you set a plan in motion.   
—-

You descended the stairs and found the three men chatting quietly in the kitchen. But that wasn’t the only thing that caught your attention. It was the delicious smell emanating from the pot on the stove.   
Your brows furrowed as you walked closer, thinking if there was any possibility that you left something on the stove. But that couldn’t have been the case, because you ate a few slices of ordered pizza for lunch.   
So, unless you were dreaming, one of the men in front of you was cooking something.   
Sure enough, as you drew even closer, you saw Adam cursing into the pot as the water splashed around thanks to his not so elegant dropping of onion on the burning oil.   
You laughed a little, which made the boys turn on their heels and stare at you with sheepish smiles.   
“I wanted to do something nice, you know? Like dinner or something, but I forgot I’m not the best of cooks,” Adam admitted, and you just shook your head at him.   
“How in the hell does one forget about his own abilities, huh? The MMA has beaten the brain out of your head, I swear to God, Adam. Maybe it’s time for you to change your job, or maybe, I don’t know, you’re getting old,” you teased, and you got the reaction you were looking for.   
Adam’s chest puffed out a little, and he frowned down at you, which only made you laugh harder.

“I’d just like to point out that you’re twins,” Tony quipped and glanced between the two of you. You just gave him a duh look and continued to stare at Adam.   
“Bucky, could you maybe finish this? There is something I need to do first. I think my brother is set for some ass-beating,” you said devilishly, and before Adam could react properly, you ran to him and expertly jumped on his back, licking his cheek, just like you used to when you were a child.   
You did it because you knew all too well that Adam hated when somebody licked his face or worse, spit on him. Which, wasn’t surprising but you wanted to unwind a little, and a wrestling match with your much stronger brother seemed like the right way around it.   
Bucky just laughed at your behaviour, but you could hear that the simmering of the onion stopped. When you glanced at him, you saw he stopped cooking, and you weren’t sure if it was because he wanted to make sure you would be ok, or whether he just wanted to see you two beating the crap out of each other.   
No matter, because Adam finally recovered from his shock and grabbed you by your arm and swung you forward, so that you were swaying in front of him, too unstable from the sudden movement.   
You knew Adam would never hurt you, but because he was your brother, his punches always hurt at least a little, and you were sure you’d be sporting a bruise or two. But in your mind, it was all worth it.

The only shame was that Thomas and Max weren’t there to join you, because it got nasty really quickly, and somehow, even though you were all adults, somebody always ended up with a split lip and at least one other person was bleeding a little.   
It was no fight without a little blood, you learned that early on living with 3 brothers.   
What Adam didn’t expect was for you to pinch his ear, and he yelped in surprise, which gave you time to ran towards the living room, where the couches were so that the two of you could continue on something with mats.   
Adam didn’t waste any time and ran after you, with Tony and Bucky right behind him, watching the two of you with a mix of horror and amusement laced in their eyes.   
When Adam jumped on you, Bucky pretty much lost sight of who was who, because there were just four arms and four legs, with a splash of your hair every now and then, But he heard no crying, so he willed his mind to calm down and let you do what obviously helped elevate the tensions in the room.  
It took a good five minutes before you and Adam unlocked from the “deadly” grasp you held and laughed when you were finally free of each other.   
“You’re such a little shit, Y/N, gosh! And you don’t play fair on top of it all,” Adam scoffed as he massaged the back of his neck where you pinched him multiple times.   
“Oh, please, there are no rules to the ultimate wrestling matches. Besides, you’re not bleeding so shut up,” you rolled your eyes at your brother, who now turned to you, to see that there were nail marks on your forearm, few of which were angry red and threatening to bleed.   
He roared with laughter and pulled out his phone to take a photo of your arm, which was something nor Bucky nor Tony could comprehend.  
“Fuck, I gotta send this to Thomas and Max, they’re gonna piss themselves. Bleeding? You call this bleeding? Oh, pumpkin, I guess we should have waited for them so that we could really beat your ass and show you what bleeding is,” Adam managed to say through the fits of laughter.   
“What kind of family are you?” Tony asked, horrified to hear you talk about blood.   
You and Adam both looked at him and shrugged your shoulders before you joined Adam in laughing.   
Bucky rolled his eyes and shrugged at Tony, who was still too much in shock to follow Bucky back into the kitchen where he went back to making dinner.   
—-

When dinner was done, Bucky hollered at the rest of the group to join him in the dining room, already serving platters full of spaghetti with red sauce.   
You licked your lips hungrily and eyed the food, which looked and smelled delicious, and winked at Bucky before you sat down at the table.   
“Thank you for making this, Bucky,” you emphasised the name, and he smirked at you before he glanced around the room to see if anybody wanted more of the sauce or the pasta.   
“And thank you for letting me stay, all of you. It’s a pleasure to finally spend time with the two of you without fearing what your father might think of it,” Tony added, and you nodded at him. You weren’t ready to jump back into the heavy topics, so you steered the conversation towards something lighter, and you managed to discuss your favourite dishes and some binge-able shows on Netflix.   
The rest of the night was filled with warm laughs and friendly conversation about nothing concrete, but from the look on everybody’s faces, it was exactly what you all needed.   
Bucky’s hand was on the table, and the longer you watched it while listening to Adam’s story, the more there was a need growing inside you.   
And because you were too tired to fight yourself, even for just this one day, you let go of all the inhibitions, and just did what felt right at the time.   
So you slid your hand on the table before you laid it on top of Bucky’s. He was so utterly shocked by your action, that you could see there was a millisecond he wanted to retract his hand. But when you squeezed and held on, he relaxed and turned his hand so that you could intertwine your fingers with his.   
He watched your hands like that, and a small smile played on his lips. Not a smirk, a genuine smile indicating how happy he truly was that you made such a move. And it felt so good that you couldn’t help but mirror his smile as well.


	16. All For One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You bring everybody up to speed, but the main issue appears to be back at the company. And you find out the truth about George Barnes.

The next few days had been spent by you being closed behind the walls of your house, just going through every little fact and information you had gathered up until that point, while Bucky was trying to keep the company running.   
Which, inevitably, meant that he had to spend a bit of time with both your fathers. You were worried he’d burst the first day he came from work, and it took you a good two hours to calm him down enough he was able to sit down and think clearly.   
But the more time he had to do it, the easier it had become. Bucky got really good at being an actor, and you even caught him “smiling” to a FaceTime call with Roger. Smiling was probably an overstatement, but he didn’t scowl, and that was progress.   
Not that you were blamed him. There was still a part of you that worried that upon seeing Roger, you would actually scratch his eye out and kick him out of a window. Or both. So Bucky’s patience was admirable to you. 

He also tried to engage you with the company a bit more, now that he knew you didn’t want to take it down, or away from him entirely. And that was the big break-through for you. Finally being able to work, do the thing you loved most was like a stone fell from your heart.   
Sure, you had to do it from home and so that nobody would find out about it, especially not your fathers, but still. You could hold book and contracts in your hands and actually give your opinion about things without them being dismissed immediately.   
Things were starting to turn, and you couldn’t be happier. Well… That was probably going too far because you still had to deal with Roger, and you knew that would be a pain in your ass. You also had to take care of your mother and send her to your aunt so that she wasn’t caught in the middle of it, while also making sure you and Bucky deal with your marriage and those fun stuff.  
So, yeah, the thing could have been easier, but you took what life gave you—one step at a time.   
The main issue now was the establishment of a new editing house in Japan. Bucky was against it from the very beginning, but since the fathers were so much for it and vetoed his vote, it was now happening, and Bucky had to oversee everything.  
He even told you that there were talks of somebody going to Tokyo and making sure everything was alright there, but none of that needed to be discussed now. Especially since you wanted to take Roger down once and for all. Japan could wait that long, and then things could move once again.   
—-

The most nerve-wracking thing in these quiet few days for you had been the fact you and Adam had to tell Max and Thomas about your parentage, about Tony, and about all this fun. Not that you were afraid they would judge you or anything like that, not after your last talk in Thomas’ apartment.   
You knew they were both in your corner, so that wasn’t the issue. However, you were afraid that somebody (cough cough Thomas cough cough) would lose his damn mind and just go and kill his own father. Because as far as you were concerned, Roger was still Thomas’ and Max’ father.   
Which was why you were also a little more stressed out. Sure, Roger was a piece of shit person, but he was still their father. The father of your lovely brothers who didn’t deserve anything terrible happening to them.   
But then you had to reason with yourself, that you weren’t going to kill Roger. You just wanted to teach him a lesson, maybe take all of his money and send his bullying ass to jail. And so you didn’t need to worry about your brothers’ feeling too much because you were sure if you told them the whole truth they would understand what needed to happen.   
And so you did just that. You called them both to come to your house one evening with Adam tagging along as well, and the four of you had a long heart to heart where you all cried and laughed and reassured each other that there was nothing more important than the relationship between you all.   
Your heart was literally full after that conversation, and when Bucky came home, he saw that change in your eyes.   
“So, I take the talk with your brothers was good?” Bucky smiled from the front door, and even though he was beaming with pride that there still were a few normal people out there, the lines on his forehead became too prominent in the last few days.

Even the bag under his eyes became that much more visible, and it got to a point, that you actually started to worry whether he was sick.   
But looking in the mirror yourself, you realised that the similar signs of exhaustion appeared on your face as well. You wished everything was normal again, with your father behind bars and you… well, you actually didn’t know what you wanted for yourself, other than some peace and quiet, and some job, preferably in Barnes&Clark.   
But that was it. Simple as that, and yet you couldn’t help but think that there was maybe something else for you, something more.   
However, these thoughts didn’t help you in a sound sleep, so you shook them from your head and concentrated on Bucky again.   
“Yeah, Thomas looked like he was gonna kill somebody, while Max just sighed all the time and tried to make sense of it all. But it was good, you know? I’m glad that they are up to speed with everything that is happening, and that I don’t have any secrets from them,” you nodded at him, and he just gave you another exhausted smile before he shuffled towards the kitchen.   
You walked behind him, just watching his tired body move as if the spirit left him altogether.   
“Did something happen?” You asked carefully as you sat down on the kitchen counter.   
“I found out something today, that I hoped wasn’t true. Like, honest to God, I really hoped that this wouldn’t happen and that this all was just a one-man show, but I found out today that it really wasn’t, and it breaks my fucking heart,” Bucky mumbled against his palms which were pressed against his face.   
“What are you talking about, Bucky?” You asked ever softer, trying to coax him into talking while not urging him too much.   
“Well, it started early on in the office,” Bucky began, and you tried to make yourself comfortable because it looked like it would be a long story.  
—

_Bucky was sitting in his office, and when he looked at the clock which was right across his desk, they read 11 AM.  
He groaned inwardly because there was just too much time he had to spend in the office till the clock showed at least 5 PM, and he was already on the edge of his seat to just leave.   
He used to love coming to work and dealing with all the issues that came his way. And he still did. But now that he knew he was pretty much a chess piece in some big game Roger orchestrated.   
And the thought of it made the hair on Bucky’s neck stand immediately. That, and the fact he knew both Roger and his father were present in the company that day, so there was a very probable chance that he would have to interact with at least one of them, if not both.   
How did his life become this? Bucky thought as he strolled down the memory lane to where he thought you were the mastermind behind everything, and that Roger was just being friendly, and his own father as much of a victim as he was.   
Which could still be very much truth, because Bucky still didn’t have any evidence that his father was let into Roger’s plan. And Bucky so desperately wanted to believe in his father’s innocence, because he just couldn’t stomach the thought of George Barnes playing a sick game of extorting his own son with compromising photos and videos of his daughter.   
Because while everybody already knew that Roger was a sick motherfucker, there still was a possibility of George Barnes being as much of a victim as Bucky and you.   
Bucky tried to concentrate on work, and it wasn’t until much later that he actually looked at the clock, considering the deal in Japan needed a lot of attention.   
But when he did look, it was because his father entered his office at precisely 4.22. Bucky didn’t know why he felt the need to remember the time, or even why he discreetly started the recorder on his phone. He just did, and it later proved to be an excellent strategy. _

_“Son, we might have a problem,” George said in a grave tone, and the remains of colour in Bucky’s face just drained.  
“What happened? Something in Japan?” Bucky asked cautiously, hoping that this was the case.   
“No, I haven’t had the time to look into that, but I trust your abilities. No, this is about your lovely wife and your sister,” George almost whispered, and Bucky’s jaw tensed immediately.   
“What do you mean? I thought the last time was the last,” Bucky acted his part, and George believed him, apparently, because he just nodded and hung his head between his shoulders while he rummaged his pockets before he pulled out a small flash drive.   
“Here, have a look for yourself.”   
And so Bucky did. Without another word, he plugged the thing in his computer, and a screw full of photos appeared in front of him. He clicked not the first one, and his stomach turned.   
It was Rebecca, obviously in her worst era full of drugs and sex with ultimate weirdos. The photo showed her pinned to a pole, blowing one guy off while another one was fucking her.   
Bucky had to close his eyes, but even then, the pictures were inscribed on the back of his eye-lids. He hadn’t seen these ones yet. Not that they were the worst, but it still was his sister. His sweet little sister who deserved help, but definitely didn’t deserve anybody else looking at her tied and fucked.   
Bucky didn’t even need to see any other of those photos, because, from the small icons, he could see they were all taken during the same event, and that there were two, probably very graphic videos as well. _

_He shut his computer and looked at his father, who was sitting there with a neutral face.  
“So, apparently, not only does she want a child from you, but she wants you guys to move to Japan. Or, at least, that’s what she wrote in that e-mail she sent to me a few hours ago,” George muttered, and for the first time, Bucky actually looked at him.   
And he didn’t like what he saw. There was no remorse, no fear, nothing. It was just a man giving another man a piece of information, looking as if the outcome of it all didn’t matter to him at all.   
So, Bucky went into defence.  
“This is just sick. You know what, I’ll just ask her what the fuck is going on, and if she wanted to do something, I’d just tie her to a bed, or something,” Bucky said as if thinking out loud, but in fact, he was looking for any traces of the truth on his father’s face.   
And oh boy, did he find it. _

_As soon as the plan left Bucky’s mouth, George stood up from the chair he was sitting in just a few moments ago and started pacing the room, looking bewildered.  
“No, no! You can’t do that. I bet she has somebody working with her, and she will put it out there and ruin Rebecca’s reputation,” he screamed, and Bucky raised his brow at him.   
“Fuck that! We both know Becca will be in the institution for at least another few months, and, besides, she always wanted to go to Australia, and it was you holding her back. So, now she could just go and be free from all this bullshit, and we could be free of the extortion,” Bucky said equally as loud as his father.   
But George wasn’t giving up, and Bucky realised there was just too much at stake for him to back down now.   
“I said, no! This is my family, and I have the ultimate right to say the final word. So no, you will listen to your crazy-ass wife and just move with her. You can oversee the whole project by yourself and keep a close eye at that bitch,” George roared, and Bucky had to fight all that was in him not to stand up and defend you.   
Because now that he knew the truth, he saw all the manipulations the fathers had been pulling all this time. Calling you crazy and all that stuff was supposed to give them a reason to have you, while the truth was the Roger was just punishing you for something that wasn’t your fault.   
And, obviously, George knew as well, because no sane person would act the way he just did. If any of it was true, Bucky finally realised, and George would be as good of a parent as he made himself seem to be, he would have hired somebody to obtain all the photos from you, and try and make it right.   
But all he did was sabotage Bucky, you and also Rebecca because he wanted to keep his seat at the top of the company.   
Bucky had to take a few deep breaths before he was able to talk again.   
“Who would take care of the company here?”   
George obviously smirked, and Bucky wanted to roll his eyes because this was just getting ridiculously easy.  
“Don’t worry about that. Roger and I would, of course. It is our company, at the end of the day, and while you might be the acting CEO, many things can change,” he winked before he patted Bucky’s shoulder and left the office.   
Bucky was left there, gaping at the door, and not believing his own ears. So, Bucky was just an acting CEO, and all they wanted this whole time, was to keep the company for themselves.   
And because Tony made them sign something where they promised to step down, and when something significant happened (like, for example, the children of Barnes and Clark would get married, and, even better, have a child and leave for Japan), they would have all the power once again. _  
—-

When Bucky finished the story and let you listen to the whole recording, you just jumped off the counter and ran to the bathroom, emptying your stomach in the toilet.   
So it wasn’t just one shitty father, there were two of them. Perfect.   
But, at least, now you knew, and there were steps you could take to bring them both down.   
You walked back to the kitchen where Bucky was patiently waiting for you, and you didn’t think twice before you embraced him. He looked taken back, but he reacted soon by bringing you close and burying his face in your hair.   
“I couldn’t do what you did, Bucky. You didn’t kill him, and you actually played his game, which gave us time to operate. So, thank you for that, for your courage and all,” you mumbled, and Bucky just nodded, not willing to break the peaceful moment occurring.   
Not that the things got any easier, but at least now you knew that they were both involved and that you couldn’t trust anybody but each other and a handful of other people. But the rest? They were just snakes.


	17. Long Due

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Bucky prepare everything for the endgame. Which means making sure nod boy gets caught in the mess that will sure as hell happen soon. Very soon.

Bucky had been mulling about this for quite some time. It wasn’t the best approach, and to some, it might have looked as if he were getting rid of the person, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He only wanted what was best for them, and that was why he finally reached a decision to act. Especially when he found out that his own father was in on it with Roger.   
Which was still a concept little unbearable to him. Not that he’s always had the closest relationship with his own father, far from it. But there was, at least Bucky thought there was, a certain agreement, some kind of an understanding that essentially brought them together.   
But now Bucky had to face the harsh truth of his own father being a ruthless person willing to sacrifice his own daughter and even his son for his own benefit. And the benefit was not even that great, to be honest. Sure, being the CEO had its perks, but it also brought the downfall of long hours and constant stress.   
However, Bucky realised, this might have been perfect for them. Neither his father nor Roger had to stay in the office till midnight making sure all the contracts were legit and signed, nor did they have to make all the uncomfortable phone calls or fire people.   
They gifted themselves the perfect position. All they had to do was to be in the background, and make some calls so undo what they didn’t think was appropriately done by Bucky, while they took an insane amount of money.   
It all made Bucky sick. 

And to think his poor sister was dragged into it and it was what was left of her dignity that was at stake now, it made the hair on Bucky’s neck stand. Because he wanted to do everything in his power to protect her. It was always about protecting this sweet soul that made a few mistakes.   
But maybe it had gone for far too long. Rebecca was an amazing woman, but never actually owned up to what she had been doing before they finally got her into rehab. Sure, she admitted she had done wrong, but that was about it. She never told Bucky to just follow his heart and ask you because she was all too aware of the consequences.   
Everybody from the higher circles of the society in New York would see those photos and videos, and her wild life and her reputation as the lovely sweetheart would be gone. And maybe that was precisely what she needed. Being faced with harsh reality, just like Bucky himself was.   
Because, truth be told, through this process it also dawned on Bucky just how much damage he had done over the year and something.   
Not only to you (although you were the main reason for his guilt) but to everybody around as well. He protected both Rebecca and the fathers to a fault, never questioning anything they told him while destroying your self-esteem and kicking you even lower into the ditch he personally dug for you.   
He was also not fair to the company, making a lot of emotional calls in the spur of the moment which he now saw only hurt them rather than help them get back in the saddle. He let the fathers mop with him from left to right and never standing his own grounds.   
Gosh, he hated himself for so many things, and he was genuinely amazed that you hadn’t killed him yet. He would if he were you. Because the amount of pain he caused you, and the amount of insufferable moments he created for you in your shared house… Bucky actually didn’t even know ho he could look in the mirror in the morning.   
And although you seemed to have been working through things, and tried to accept the past as the past, Bucky didn’t know if he could ever do that. If he could ever look into your eyes and not see the pain he had inflicted on you. Or if you’d ever let him come close enough to allow him to do that.   
—-

It was around noon that the doorbell rang, and Bucky knew immediately what was going on and who was by the door. He discussed everything with you, knowing that the least he could do was, to be honest with you no matter what. There had been enough lies and deceit between you for a lifetime, and he had no intention in prolonging that bad habit.   
Bucky ran down the stairs and met your curious eyes in the kitchen. He just gave you a small smile but didn’t stop, knowing that it would be better if he answered the door right away.   
And when he did his smile grew.   
“Bucky,” the voice whispered, and when he finally looked up to meet the eyes of the visitor, tears welled up in them.   
“Becca,” he whispered back, and the siblings embraced almost immediately. He could feel his sister’s sobs as he held her, and he had a lot to do himself not to start crying as well.   
“I’ve missed you so much,” she sobbed, and Bucky just nodded, not finding the right words to respond.   
It was only when he heard a slight cough behind him that he woke up from the mild trance and let his sister go.   
Rebecca smiled widely at you and ran towards you for a hug which you gladly gave her. You used to be great friends before her life took a nasty turn. It hurt you that much more that she never really urged Bucky to ask you, to look for the real truth.   
That she said to Bucky that she wasn’t sure you’d be able to do that was … nice, but it wasn’t enough in your books.   
But you knew you had to let go of all your resentment, towards both her and Bucky and everybody else who you thought had wronged you. Because, as much as it was hard to admit, you didn’t push either. 

You let everybody walk all over you without ever raising your voice. You completely forgot about your nature, your own character, and tried to be something you were never meant to be: an obedient wife without her own opinion.   
While you were glad all that was behind you, you were also very much aware of your own fault in the whole thing. And that was why you were so eager to forget and move on. And you were sure that over time, even the forgiveness would come.   
What you didn’t know was whether the full trust would come with the forgiveness as well. But considering you now trusted Bucky with pretty much your whole life, knowing that if he talked to your father, you would be a dead woman. Literally. So, maybe you weren’t as far from the goal as you initially thought.   
Nevertheless, you tried to stay as present in the moment as you could, and you exchanged some initial pleasantries with Rebecca, while Bucky took all her luggage inside.   
It was when you all sat down in your living room, that Becca started asking questions, which was more than logical, considering she was meant to stay in the facility for at least another 3 months because not only was she tackling her drug addiction, she was also dealing with her pending depression. And that couldn’t be solved in a month.   
“So, what is going on that you couldn’t tell me over the phone, Bucks?” Becca asked with a raised eyebrow as she sipped on her camomile tea.   
Bucky sighed and looked over at you, probably looking for some kind of support, which you lent him without question. You over to his side of the couch and laid your hand on top of his, and his body immediately relaxed.   
The whole interaction wasn’t something that escaped Rebecca’s eye, and she looked between the two of you curiously but didn’t ask any questions about it, probably hoping Bucky would bring it up on his own. 

But it wasn’t something Bucky wanted to delve into that very moment. So he cleared his throat and looked intently at Rebecca.   
“We’ve got more information about what is going on, and I thought it would be good for you if you knew. That being said, I also believe it would be safer for you to continue your treatment out of the county,” Bucky started, and Rebecca already shifted uncomfortably.   
“Information about what?” She whispered and trained her eyes on the ground. You all knew what the information was about, but Bucky nodded and continued.   
“You remember the last time we discussed this whole mess? Well, there had been some revelations after that, and we have a reason to believe that it was actually our fathers who planted the evidence about you and made Y/N the villain, while they were the puppeteers behind all this,” Bucky sighed, and Rebecca started trembling immediately.   
“What do you mean? You wanna tell me that it was dad who tried to use my photos and videos against you? But why?” She asked, and her voice broke, although she obviously tried to keep everything in. 

Bucky let go of your hand and stood up to sit next to his sister, to offer her a shoulder to cry on.   
“They wanted to stay in power of the company, and because it was almost taken away from them, they pretty much bullied us into something so that they could keep all their money and their status. They’re just power-hungry, and they don’t care about anything else in the world. That is why I also think you are not safe here,” Bucky added, and Becca just nodded, trying to digest everything that was being said.   
“There is also the possibility that the second we hit on them, they will release all the incriminating material they have against you. I sincerely hope that it won’t come to this, but it is a real possibility, and that’s why I’m telling you about this,” Bucky said, and when he saw Becca’s quick intake of breath, he continued.   
“I know, I know it sucks, and while I’ll do everything I can to stop that from happening, I can’t guarantee anything. And I know that if the information got out, you’d lose all your “fame” here in New York, but that’s a price you might have to pay. That is why I think that starting anew could be a good option for you. A clean slate, and a whole fate for you to create,” Bucky smiled faintly and Becca nodded in understanding.   
There was a moment of silence while they both dealt with the weight of the things Bucky just told her, and you sat there, watching the interaction between them. You couldn’t help but think of your brothers because you knew that Bucky and Becca were almost as tight as you and the boys. So you could only imagine the whirlwind of emotions deep inside the siblings in front of you. 

“I should have gone a long time ago, Buck. I know that now, but I tried to preserve something that wasn’t even worth preserving anymore. I’m sorry, gosh, I’m so fucking sorry, Buck. I just… I didn’t know how to handle the world, and I did it the wrong way, I know that now. I just wish I was smarter back then,” she whispered, and it obviously took a lot from Bucky to not start crying with his sister.   
“It’s alright, baby, it’s alright. I’m not mad, I just want what’s best for you, and I genuinely think that a new start could be it for you,” Bucky mused and Becca just nodded.   
“Where were you thinking? Or is it something I should decide?”   
“I thought Australia might be a good place because they have some great facilities, and there is a tiny possibility of people actually knowing you there. But, of course, if you’d like to explore your options, by all means. I just want you to be safe from the vultures and from our father,” Bucky added.   
“I still can’t believe dad would do something like that to us. And Roger as well,” she added, looking at you and you gave her a small smile.   
“Yeah, well, it came as a surprise to all of us. And now we have to handle together to be able to get rid of them,” you smirked, and Becca giggled a little. You looked at Bucky and shared a look of reassurance. There was another person on board, and things were going down soon.  
—-

When you left to cook something to eat for all of you, preferably, something with a lot of carbs because you all sure deserved that, Becca turned to face Bucky and raised a brow, showing her interest in the happening since she last spoke with her brother.   
Bucky acted as if he didn’t know what the raised brow meant and so he just shrugged and wanted to get up when a hand on his wrist stopped him.   
“I would have to be blind not to notice the little touches and the long looks between the two of you. What is happening, Bucky?” She smirked because there was already a pretty clear idea in her head about the situation between the two of you.   
“What? I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Bucky said and scratched the back of his neck, earning a slap across his thigh from his sister.   
“Sure, and I’m the freaking Chinese God of laughter. C’mon, you two banging or something?” Becca asked, and Bucky almost choked on his own saliva.   
He looked toward the door the see if you were somewhere there, but when he heard the clinging of the pots in the kitchen, he released a heavy breath and sat back down.   
“No, nothing like that. Ever since I realised I’ve been the idiot of all the idiots treating her like shit all this time, I tried to make it right. Y/N, she is an amazing woman, and I was a fool not to see through the fathers’ lies. So, I’m trying to make it right and avenge not only you and me but her as well because she sure as hell deserves that.   
And the feelings I used to have for her resurfaced, I’m not gonna deny that. But I know for a fact she will never be able to forgive me, and all that is “happening” between us is just a partners-in-crime type of thing. I promised her to sign the divorce papers once this is all over, and I intend to keep my word,” Bucky quipped, and Becca watched him for a second before she slapped him across his head this time. 

“You men are so oblivious sometimes. Y/N might be pissed at you and for a good reason, and the same goes for her slight unfriendliness towards me, but she isn’t a vengeful person. Also, she isn’t that kind of person to let anybody touch her, just cause. Look, all I’m saying is that I would keep an open mind and try my hardest to show her that you’ve changed and are willing to further change, for her. That’s all,” she smirked and stood up and left, leaving Bucky and his thoughts to himself.   
What if his sister was right? What if you really had some other feelings for him than just the kind that would evaporate the second this nightmare was over? Or what if you didn’t, and he would imagine something that wouldn’t come true?  
Bucky wished Becca never started talking about it because now he wasn’t sure anymore about the outcome of this. There was his own personal hope, sure, but that was literally for nothing because he would never push you into anything. But there was also no way for him to find out about your feelings… Because he sure as hell didn’t plan on coming in the kitchen and just blatantly asking whether there was a possibility of forgiveness, and what it would take? Or maybe that was exactly what he should have done…  
Well, safe to say, Bucky was screwed, and he didn’t know how to get out of his mess.   
—-

While cooking the afternoon snack AKA early dinner, you thought about all that had been happening in your life, and you knew there was another step in this game. Because you tried to save everybody from the fire, you already suggested to Max to send his wife and his kids somewhere safe. And he was all in, of course.   
And so you picked up your phone and sent a shared message to multiple people, making sure everybody was up to speed.   
_Hey, if you can do what we discussed tomorrow. The wheels will be set in motion. ENDGAME._  
And hit send, feeling your heart hammering against your ribcage. This was it. This was the endgame. You had to take your father down the only way it would actually hurt him: through the company.


	18. Two Sides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Bucky take the first step in making sure the dads get what they deserve, which means quietly cutting them from the company, while uncovering other secrets as well.

Bucky drove to the company early in the morning. He was set to meet with the fathers because the whole board was meeting, and he wanted to make sure he had everything prepared. Bucky was aware that the talk would be mostly about him moving to Tokyo because that was something the fathers still thought was happening.   
Not that Bucky totally dismissed the idea of life in Tokyo. Especially considering his whole future with the company. He couldn’t wait to take down both his father and Roger and make you a legitimate part of the entire process.   
But that inevitably meant being with you almost every day, and since you two would be divorced, it wasn’t something Bucky was necessarily keen on. Seeing his ex-wife whom he was actually in love with wasn’t the best option out fo the few possibilities.   
Still, it wasn’t something to be dealt with now. There were other issues he needed to handle, as well as keeping the secret about the whole plan.   
It was rather simple, actually. The whole plan was created in a few minutes, both of you knowing exactly what you wanted from this whole thing.   
First, you needed to make sure they weren’t suspecting shit. Then, you’d have to bring some reliable lawyers and give them the evidence that you weren’t Roger’s daughter and, therefore, the section about a Barnes and a Clark marrying wouldn’t be viable, meaning that your fathers weren’t the CEOs anymore.   
There was still the issue of the missing contract, but that wouldn’t be an issue anymore. Since your mother told you where your father kept such essential documents, and since you knew that your father would be in the office the whole morning, you and Thomas would have enough time to sneak in and get a hold of the original contract, where everything would be explained.

After that, you’d just scratch those two out of everything connected to the company, making sure they couldn’t slither their way in, and make sure neither George nor Roger would publish any of the material they held against so many people.   
You intended to do that with the help of Tony since he held so many cards in his hand and was very willing to help the two of you. All there was left to do was to give them a choice: either they’d move somewhere where you’d never heard of them ever again, or you’d give the material of their extortion to the cops, and let them do their jobs.   
Everybody involved agreed with this procedure, and everybody played a crucial role in this intricate game of chess.   
Your mother and Felicia with the kids were out of reach, so that wasn’t an issue. Bucky’s mother was a still colossal question mark since you weren’t able to make sure she wasn’t siding with George, although Bucky insisted he couldn’t have had two shitty parents. But since you didn’t even know either you had one shitty parent a few weeks ago, you didn’t want to take the chance.   
And so everything was lined up and set to success, but only if all the components run smoothly. And there were so many things that could go wrong, it made you shiver in both dread and anticipation.   
—-

When Bucky finally felt ready for the whole show to start, he hollered at his assistant to gather the board, the meeting would start in 10 minutes. From across his room, he could see the people shuffling towards the congress room right across Bucky’s office, and when he saw both Roger and George joining the bunch of people there, he knew it was showtime.   
He shot you a quick message telling you that the path was clear for you and Thomas to sneak into the house and get what you needed from the bed-side table.   
Bucky was also eternally grateful for your brothers. He wasn’t sure he’d be willing to let you go to the house on your own but knowing there was a person who loved you unconditionally and who was there to protect you put Bucky’s mind at ease a little bit.   
He got up from his seat and gathered the material for the meeting and strode towards the room full of unfriendly faces.   
“Morning, gentlemen,” Bucky greeted the room as he sat at the head of the table. To his surprise, George and Roger were sitting on the very opposite end, looking like an interrogation committee. Just the fact that they didn’t sit at their usual place with other board members made Bucky’s blood boil.   
Who did they think they were? They expected Bucky not to suspect anything, still, they acted as if they never left and as acting CEOs themselves. But Bucky knew it was because they let their guard down. They didn’t expect anybody to think too hard about the two of them, and so they thought their hands were free.   
Bucky just hoped you’d be able to obtain the information so that these two old fuckers could go down, and hard. He took a calming breath in and nodded at the fathers, who just smirked and continued to look elated.

The meeting went as expected, the fathers were quiet for the most part as Bucky and the other members discussed the sale in the US and Canada, while also introducing some new advertising and managing strategies their teams came up with.   
It was only when the mention of Tokyo was raised that the fathers finally came alive.   
“Everything seems to be going great; however, we still believe some senior manager should go there for at least a few months to make sure that our ideals are met while also keeping in mind the different culture. We have been able to hire some amazing managers from Japan already, but it is vital for one of our own people to overlook it properly,” Alex, one of the board members suggested, and everybody nodded their heads in agreement.   
“Were you thinking someone in particular?” Another person asked, but before Alex could reply, Roger spoke up.   
“Actually, we thought it would be great if little James here could go. He and his wife could have it like a little vacation,” Roger smiled and raised a brow at Bucky expectedly as if biding him to support this idea.

And there was very little Bucky could do at this point since they thought Bucky was still buying the story about you extorting Bucky and Becca.   
“Yeah, Y/N and I, we thought it would do us good if we changed the environment for a while. You know, help us as a couple while also being able to take a breath from New York, since we didn’t even have the time to go on our honeymoon,” Bucky tried to sound as confident as he could, hoping the room would buy his charade.   
“That’s great, I would think, but you are the CEO. Shouldn’t you be here while we sent somebody, let’s say, less essential for the smooth running of the whole company?” Alex voiced his surprise.   
“I mean, I wouldn’t leave the company altogether. I would just be in Japan, taking care of things there while also being on the phone. Moreover, there are still are ex CEOs here, who I think would be a great replacement for me. I mean, who better than the men who built this company from scratch?” Bucky flattered the men and felt his stomach tightening from the excess of bullshitting he just spewed.   
But since the two fuckers looked smugger than ever, Bucky assumed it was working, therefore, worth it.   
“What a great idea, James! We would, of course, hold you the position until you’d be back from the trip. It is just a mere logical event for us to step in when James is not here. So, if everybody agrees, I think we should vote and see where we stand. After that, I think we should just go about our days,” George said proudly, and everyone nodded.   
The voting was unanimous: everybody was for Bucky leaving. Great, that’s what they wanted.   
When Bucky felt the phone vibrate on the desk, he took a quick look at it to confirm that it is a message from you, which it was. You had the papers and Bucky didn’t have to keep them around him any longer. Everything was working like a clock.   
—-

 _Meanwhile…_  
When Bucky texted you that he had eyes on both men, you and Thomas parked in front of your parents’ house and almost ran towards the door. It was Tuesday, so you knew all the personal had a day off.   
The only small issue was that the house was under alarm. However, the more you thought about it, the more you realised your father had no suspicion whatsoever, and that was mainly why you brought Thomas with you.   
Each of you, the Clark children, had their own personal code for the alarm, sending your father a message which one of you put in theirs in so that he knew what was going on. He always had to be in control. But he didn’t count with one simple thing: you and your brothers knew Roger like the back of your hand.   
He had his routine that he never broke, not even for special occasions such as the birth of his first grandchild and such like. And so you used them against him.   
When Thomas put in the security code, he motioned for you to step in as well, and when you were sure the thing wouldn’t start beeping like crazy, you bolted for the bedroom.   
You took two steps at a time, going as fast as you could. You knew it was almost irrational because Roger was a) at a meeting, and b) it would take him at least another 30 minutes to get home. So you had at least an hour to do everything you needed to.   
But since you couldn’t just grab the papers and run, but actually had to make copies of those papers to give back to Roger, had he had the need to check if everything was still intact, you needed to hurry.

Thomas had another mission. His mission was to get the DNA test proving Roger wasn’t your father, copy that paper and put the copy back into the drawer in Roger’s office.   
You found the key exactly where your mother told you and quickly unlocked the bed-side table, seeing the stack of papers when you opened the first drawer. You took a photo of the drawer to be able to remember how it looked before you made your way through it.  
You didn’t have the time to go through each and every one of the contracts, so you just skimmed through those, but you soon realised that you and Bucky weren’t the only people Roger played with.

There were photos of Tony and Pepper, some even of the Deputy Chief Commissioner of the NYPD, obviously catching him in the act of infidelity. The drawer was full of extortion material. You took photos of the most interesting ones before finally laying your hand on Bucky’s contract. You swiped through it and looked if the section in question was there in detail, and when you saw that it indeed was, you didn’t wait any longer.  
You ran out of the room towards the office where the copy-machine was and set to work. The contract was hundreds of pages long, so it took you a good 30 minutes to copy every single page. Thomas was making sure the room looked exactly as you found it, and even opened a window for a brief moment to get rid of the smell of ink.  
You checked at least a 100 times if everything was as before, checking your phone and when you didn’t see a single difference, you closed the drawer and hid the key once again.   
Sitting in the car, your heart felt as if it wanted to jump out of your chest, and from the looks of it, Thomas’ did as well. But you had it. You had all the papers, and now it was unto the lawyers to do their job.   
Sending Bucky an affirmative message about the withdrawal Thomas drove the two of you out of there and into the city.   
Neither of you spoke, both deep in your minds as you drove by the skyscrapers and all the people going on about their days as if today wasn’t special. But it was to you and the family, and you were one step closer to get what you wanted the most. Freedom.


	19. Company's Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You take closer look at the contract, and while you think there is very little that can surprise you, this definitely stuns you. To say the least.

When Thomas dropped you off, he insisted on staying with you as long as necessary, at least till Bucky got back. You protested at first, but soon realised it was useless and relented.   
You weren’t sure whether you should look at the contract without Bucky, knowing that he would like to be there, but the curiosity in you was killing you every passing second that you didn’t know the contents of the papers in front of you.   
You knew Bucky would have to stay at work at least till 5 PM, and there was too much time between now and then, and so you made a quick decision and sifted through the papers until you found the incriminating page with the section in question. Section 17.  
“Are you sure about this, pumpkin?” Thomas asked you gently as he laid his hand over yours, and you looked up at him, still clutching the paper in your hands.   
“I can’t wait, Thomas. I need to know what the clause says so that I can prepare myself for Bucky’s reaction. Because while I know, I won’t go out running to Roger and kill him, I’m not so sure about Bucky. He can be extremely impulsive, and I think it would be for the best if I knew beforehand to prepare for the inevitable,” you reasoned with your brother who just nodded wordlessly and let go of your hand. 

“You seem awfully preoccupied with what Bucky might think and how he might react. Just saying,” Thomas jabbed and you turned to look at him, your brows raised.   
“Well, of course, I am preoccupied. I don’t need him to go and kill somebody or hurt himself in the process. That’s not the point here. All we should do is to make sure these two won’t be a threat to anybody else ever again, and that’s it,” you quipped, and Thomas just chuckled humourlessly but shook his head when you wanted to probe for more.   
He was acting weirder every second, but you didn’t have the time to question him about that. It could wait at least till you found out about the whole scam. But then he’d definitely hear it from you, no doubt about it.   
You carefully sat down by the dining table and spread out all the papers. You knew that the one section was the most important one, but you still wanted to go over it once again just to make sure there weren’t any other hidden surprises that would come bite you in the ass further along the way.   
Thomas left you to it and went to the living room knowing you too well to understand you needed some alone time while going through all that lawyer talk. 

_Section 17 Clause 198  
The founding members, Roger Henry Clark (further only as “Roger”) and George Hamill Barnes (further only as “George”) have the ultimate right to choose their successor, have they decided to step from the leading position of the Barnes&Clark.   
Barnes&Clark is a family company, and so the successor should be found between the children of the CEOs, to ensure the goals of the new CEO will correspond with those of Roger and George. If the successor is not a family member of either party involved, he or she has to be approved by all the members of the board. In case the successor is any relative of either of the parties, he or she does not need any outside approval. The successor’s rights and obligations are further noted in Section 22, clauses 13 to 23.  
Barnes&Clark can only have one acting CEO in case the two founding members are no longer the CEOs. Agreement between Roger and George about their successor must be ensured to create a safe space for the company’s employees and for the smooth running of the business.   
In case Barnes’ and Clark’s families connect through marriage, the company cannot be sold to anybody else, nor can any third party take over the company as such. Such marriage must be approved by both Roger and George. In this case, the founding members of the company stay in leadership positions, able to veto the CEO’s decisions, ensuring the goals of the company are met no matter the emotional state of the successor. Roger and George will also stay in the leadership of Barnes&Clark if:  
the married couple decides to part ways for any reason whatsoever. Roger and George consider matrimony a holy union which cannot be broken, and thus is broken it would be believed that the successor is no longer of sane mind, therefore, unfit for the leadership position  
the married couple has children and then decide to separate. Roger and George believe that children should be raised in complete families with both parents equally present. If this cannot be ensured, the founding members would have to return to their previous positions, since the successor is no longer a fulfilled and sane leader of the company  
the successor decides to leave his/hers position for either a new position within the company or a new job altogether. In this case, no selection procedure will ensue, and Roger and George will assume their previous positions  
the successor will cease to live, resulting in Roger and George returning to their previous positions  
any of of the above happens, Roger and George do not have to find another successor and can continue as CEOs of Barnes&Clark as before, considering all its legal obligations to any third party untied. _

_The successor agrees to all points stated above and is aware of his/her obligation in their matrimony and the obligations they have towards the company._  
—-

You were stunned, to say the least. Sitting by the table, you didn’t even realise how much time had passed when Thomas came in with a fresh coffee in his hands and some cookies he found in the pantry.   
You couldn’t even look at him because all the clauses were too much for you. They planned this from the beginning. Your fathers, at least those who you thought were your fathers, prepared a contract that would ensure them to remain as CEOs of Barnes&Clark no matter what.   
They even thought so far ahead to put down the little line about the successor dying. And it was that one line that flipped your stomach. You knew by now they were willing to do anything to get their company back since they “lost” it to Tony.   
They were so afraid that they wouldn’t be able to be the most important people in the room, that while they seemingly agreed to Tony’s demands when he paid off their debts all those years ago, they planned to get it back all too soon. Even if it meant they would have to get rid of their own children.   
Even if they didn’t go that far, they still played matchmakers and made you and Bucky marry, while also making sure the two of you hated each other enough to divorce, which would, once again, ensure them their old position. 

Everything was a lie. Your whole life, the entire contract, your marriage, everything. And you couldn’t handle that much betrayal. You shot up from your chair and ran towards the nearest bathroom to clear the contents of your stomach. Which was not much since you couldn’t remember the last meal you ate due to all the stress.   
Thomas stayed behind and skimmed through the section himself and even he felt like fainting, which was pretty unusual since he was able to beat a guy into a curb and still feel nothing. But knowing that his own father and somebody he considered a closer family friend would be able to do something like this to their own children was unheard of.   
It took a lot of calming breaths for Thomas not to run out of the door and do exactly what you feared Bucky would do reading through the contract. And Thomas wouldn’t be surprised if Bucky actually did it anyway.   
He was all too aware that not only was this about the company, but thanks to all the war-planning in the last several weeks, the two of you grew closer. And while you didn’t want to admit it (and Thomas actually feared you wouldn’t admit it even to yourself, let alone to anybody else), the situation was crystal clear to him and his brothers.   
So, Thomas would bet that Bucky reading through it and knowing that your fathers were willing to cross the invisible line of morality and humanity, he would be able to do anything to protect you from all of that.   
When you came back, you looked like you saw a ghost. Your natural colour was drawn out of your face, and you looked sickly. Thomas stepped into your personal space and hugged you tightly to his body, but you just stood there, gazing somewhere behind him.   
“What if they realise what is happening and they actually kill him, Thomas? What am I going to do then, huh?” You whispered, but Thomas didn’t have an appropriate answer for that, so he just kept on hugging you.   
—-

“I’m sick of waiting, George. I’m telling you, that boy of yours doesn’t really wanna go to Tokyo, he never did, so waiting for him to do something he doesn’t wanna do is going to take us another few months out of our rightful places,” Roger’s voice boomed through the office.   
“What do you want me to do, huh? We’ve been playing him for so long I’m amazed he hadn’t figured out what’s going on yet. I don’t think that adding more pressure is gonna do us any good, to be honest,” George countered which shut Roger up really quickly.   
They both mused silently, trying to figure out the best way to become the true CEOs again. They hated the deal with Tony, but luckily there were some loopholes they wanted to utilise in order to get back.   
“We need the money, man. I don’t care what we do, but we need the money. You know that as well as I do,” Roger reasoned, and George knew he was right. They needed the cash that came with being the CEOs of such a huge company. And they needed it now.  
“I never thought these two would stay together for so long. Not after we fed them all that bullshit. It should have been no more than 6 months, and here we are, 15 months later, and we’re still stuck where we were. The only difference is that our bank accounts are almost dry,” Roger seethed, imagining the two of you, looking more in love than ever.   
It used to be fun feeding you all that shit about being a good wife for Bucky, leaving the business behind even though it used to be a massive chunk of your life, and even better fun to see Bucky crumbling down because of some photos George had had for years.   
But ever since the huge party at your house a couple of weeks ago, something seemed to have shifted, and the two of you were united and spoke for the two of you as if your marriage was really thriving. 

But since Roger and George needed the two of you apart, they didn’t like it at all.   
“What do you propose we do? Buck said they would go to Tokyo, but that will take another few weeks at least, and we don’t have that kind of time. How do you think we’ll pay the half-million bucks that are due in two weeks when we both have around 150.000 in your bank accounts. We need to think of something, and fast,” George concluded, and judging from the sinister look on Roger’s face, he knew that his friend made a life-changing decision that would deal with all their trouble.   
Roger looked through the glass wall in his office and saw that the light in Bucky’s office was still on, signifying that Bucky was still there. Which gave Roger the opportunity to enact his plan at that very moment.  
—-

It was getting dark, and Bucky was still nowhere to be found. You texted him that you were alright since he was pretty adamant on knowing where you were and if you were ok, but only heard from him once.   
You weren’t sure why, but there was an uneasy feeling in your stomach as if your unconscious was telling you something that was just out of reach for you.   
Thomas had gone home since you kept insisting you were fine all this time, and now sitting in the big house alone sent shivers down your spine.   
You tried dialling Bucky’s phone once again, and it went straight to his voicemail. Again. You checked your phone to see you had already called him 15 times and still no answer, and it was at that very moment that you knew something had gone terribly wrong.   
You were getting up to go to the garage for your car because you just couldn’t wait around any longer when your phone finally rang.   
You didn’t even check who it was, but picked up immediately, asking a quick Bucky? over the line, but when you heard a female voice, you knew it wasn’t Bucky calling.   
“Mrs Barnes? This is Hopkinson’s General Hospital,” the voice said, and you blacked out. 


	20. Boom Boom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You learn what happen to Bucky, and are more keen to get the fathers than ever before.

Your heart was beating so hard you feared it might actually blow up any second, and your breathing was too heavy for you to hear the person on the other side of the phone. All you could do was to imagine Bucky lying on a hospital bed somewhere, mangled and almost dead, and the nurse calling you to tell you to come to say goodbye.   
You were aware that she was calling your name, but you couldn’t will your brain to listen to her. It was after a particularly loud Miss Barnes that you finally snapped out of it.   
“What happened? Where is he?” You stuttered and grabbed the keys laying on the drawer near the front door, ready to jump in the car and fly to the hospital.   
“Uhm, your brother? As I said, he is in surgery right now, and what happened is that some older man had a heart attack and your brother is trying to save his life. I’m calling you because he asked me to tell you that he wouldn’t be able tonight, but that he hopes you two can talk tomorrow,” she finished, obviously annoyed with having to explain everything to you at least twice.

“What? Max? I thought you were calling me because of my husband,” you barely whispered, and you could hear a heavy sigh on the other side of the line.   
“I’m really sorry, Miss, but I have to get back to my actual work. Your brother simply wanted to check on you, and I’ll be sure to tell him you were evidently distressed, but for now, I have to go. Have a nice rest of the day,” she quipped, and the line went dead.   
Your brain was comprehending things slowly. First, it was the realisation that it wasn’t Bucky’s health that the hospital wanted to talk to you about, but some stupidity from your older brother. Then, the keys in your hand hit the floor as you took a deep breath and decided against going to the hospital to check on your husband.   
It was then that it hit you: Bucky was not dead, and the fathers have not yet hurt him. Or at least you hoped they didn’t. Because the fact remained that it was now dark outside and Bucky was still nowhere to be found, with his phone still going straight to voicemail.   
You thought about calling Thomas and Adam and going on a mission looking for Bucky, when you heard the keys in the front door rustling, revealing a tired-looking Bucky in the frame when the door finally opened.   
Your brain ceased to function the very second it dawned on your that he was alive and well, standing right in front of you looking at you as if you were a ghost.   
A loud sob escaped your mouth as you dropped everything you were clutching in your hands and ran towards him. All Bucky could do was to drop everything as well and catch you before you hit the ground.

The sobs now came loud and clear, and your whole body shook with the intensity of them. You knew you must have looked like a psycho, but you didn’t care one bit. Your arms were tightly snuck around Bucky, and you knew you’d probably never fully recover if something were to happen to him.   
“What is it, doll? What happened? Did somebody hurt you? Are you alright?” Bucky rambled, as the only logical explanation for the current situation was that something must have happened to you and you are now severely injured, hence the sobbing.   
But you couldn’t talk. Not at that moment. You thanked everybody who listened for protecting Bucky and you as well because as much as you wanted to blame him for everything that happened as well as Roger and George, Bucky was nothing like them.   
He proved day and night that he never meant to hurt you like he did and that he would do everything in his power to help you get rid of Roger and, ultimately, of him as well. Which you still weren’t sure was the greatest idea. There was a time when divorce sounded like the only viable option for your future, but the longer you spent with Bucky, the more you realised had you two have the time to deal with things on your own terms, this could have actually worked.   
“Talk to me, Y/N, otherwise I don’t know how to help you. And if you’re hurt, we should go to the hospital as soon as possible to prevent you from getting hurt even worse,” Bucky tried to reason, but you just shook your head and clung to him for dear life.

“I’m fine, I’m not hurt. I’m perfectly ok,” you mustered with considerable strength because you were still too preoccupied with fretting over the fact that Bucky was safe with you.   
“Then what happened? Did somebody say something to you? Let me help you,” Bucky mumbled against the crown of your hair and then kissed it to try and soothe your nerves.   
You tried to pull yourself together, and so you pulled away from him, but not too far. You needed the reassurance of his presence in the form of touching his body at least a little bit.   
“I was worried about you! You didn’t call me, your phone was dead, and you should have been home for hours now. I thought they hurt you,” you sobbed again, but tried to seem like a reasonable human being over all the tears flowing from your eyes.   
While there was a part of Bucky that was glad you were so worried about him in general, he didn’t understand why you felt he’d be in danger. It wasn’t unusual for him to stay long at the office, and while yes, how turned off phone might have been a slight issue, there would have been times that you wouldn’t even try calling him.  
“My phone died in the afternoon, and I forgot to bring a charger, so I had to be without it. I’m sorry, Y/N. I didn’t know you’d be so worried about me. Had I known I’d let somebody else call you that I was running late,” Bucky admitted, and you wiped your eyes and nose, trying to look as calm and normal as you could.   
“Why would you think I was hurt, though? Had something happened to give you such an impression?” Bucky probed, and the tears gathered in your eyes again, but you willed them to stay there.   
“You should eat something and recharge before we get into this. Just please, for the love of everything that’s holy, let me know you’re alive next time, will you? I’m too young to be a widow,” you joked, and Bucky chuckled lightly before walking past you to get changed.   
He didn’t have the energy to fight you at that moment, and he knew he needed to at least take a few bites and change clothes. He knew there was the contract to get to, but that wouldn’t go anywhere. And judging from the state you were in, Bucky would bet nothing good awaited him reading the full-length thing.   
—-

When he felt refreshed enough, he finally came down to the living room where he knew he’d find you. And sure enough, there you were, wrapped in a plush blanket, with a cup of tea in your hand, staring at the pages in front of you.   
Bucky halted in his movements and just watched you. Some people might have found it creepy, but he couldn’t help himself. You were so pretty like this, just you without any pressure from the outside on how you should look or behave, happy with yourself even though there were still visible the salty traces behind your tears a while ago.   
But even when you cried, you were the most beautiful woman for Bucky. He cursed himself again for ever not trusting you, or, better yet, for ever thinking you would be able of such a horrific thing as is extortion. He knew you were not as resentful now, but still, he could never undo all those months of acting like a complete douche to you.   
He cleared his head before he decided to join you at the table, and when you heard him coming in, you gave him a sweet little smile that would warm the heart of even the saddest person.   
“So, what did you find?” Bucky asked to steer his own mind away from the impending doom awaiting him if he continued to dream about you any longer.   
“So much, Bucky, so fucking much. I’ll let you read it, and I’ll just make sure you won’t kill anybody straight away,” you sighed, and Bucky raised a brow in question, but since you looked dead-serious, he dropped any possible questioning and got to it.   
It wasn’t long before Bucky realised just what you meant by what you said. The anger in him was rising every single second, and he had a lot to do to keep himself in a seated position and willed himself to read the whole section.

Those bastards weren’t afraid to use any measures possible to get rid of the two of you. You were their children, for fuck’s sake, and all Bucky could see was the fact that they were prepared to kill you if they saw fit and didn’t want to wait any longer for the two of you to get a divorce.   
Now, everything fell into place. They made sure the marriage was doomed from the beginning, pushing the two of you apart with their lies until there was very little left for the two of you to build on. No more friendship, let alone any kind of love between you and Bucky, and that was what the fathers had wanted.   
Even the pressure on having a grandchild now made more sense. If there were so little trust and love between you and Bucky, the divide would only grow more significant with a child on the way, and if the two of you separated, it would give reason to the fathers to take over the company.   
Which was sick. To think they were willing to put an innocent child into the mix between you and them was simply wrong. And on top of it all, they would be able to rid the child of their parents just to get their power back.   
Without him realising, Bucky was on his feet and headed towards the door before he felt a body pressed against his, and he glanced downwards, seeing you wrapped around his torso like a monkey, not willing to let go.

“You can’t Bucky, you can’t just march to them and kill them. I know you want to, but we need to think this through. We need a little bit of time to get prepared and get as much information as we can before we strike. Please, we’re not sure what they’re capable of, and for all, we know they might be planning on hurting you, or us as we speak. Please, Bucky,” you stared at him, and Bucky felt as if you were staring right into his soul.   
He was still shaking, fuming, but willing to listen to you. You were the main reason he was doing all of this. The main reason he hadn’t killed anybody. Bucky was not violent in nature, but the mere fact that somebody had been manipulating him for so long, and hurting so many people in the process made his blood boil, and he saw red.   
But the effect your voice had on him was marvellous. His heartbeat slowed down to its normal frequency, and his muscles relaxed under your soft hands. Bucky realised that there wasn’t much he wouldn’t do if you asked him to, and staying calm should be easy. Especially with you so close to him.   
“I know, doll, I know. But I just can’t stand to think that they would be so cruel, and I feel a great urge to go and stop them. They’re a threat to everybody around them, and I feel like they might hurt somebody close to us, just to get to us. And I’d hate to ruin another life,” Bucky added, and your eyes filled with tears once again. Today was a good day for crying, your body obviously thought.

“You haven’t ruined anybody’s life, Bucky. You were an ass, but I’m stronger than that. It takes a lot more to break me than a few nasty words and looks. Stop feeding the guilt inside of you every time you look at me. We have a lot to work on, a lot to talk about and cut through, but my life isn’t over just because I got married to you. Get that through that thick skull of yours,” you sobbed, unable to keep your emotions in any longer.   
You were tired of blaming Bucky, of blaming yourself, while you should have been blaming the fathers all along. You both erred, and you would both be forever sorry not to have acted differently, but that didn’t matter anymore. Bucky said his sorries a million time already, and you didn’t need to hear it again. Your heart was at peace with Bucky.   
Although you weren’t sure just how at peace it was, you knew that the resentment was almost all the way gone. He was just a human, and he didn’t know any better. He could have asked, no, should have asked you at the very beginning, but the more you tried to put yourself in his shoes, the more you realised you didn’t even know what you would do, had you found yourself in his position.   
And so moping and whining about what could have been was useless on both parts. You two needed to forgive each other, forgive yourselves and move on together. Because there was no beating the evil forces unless you were acting like one.   
Bucky knew you were right, but since he couldn’t forgive himself, he didn’t expect you to do so.   
“I can see what you’re thinking, and you better stop, or I’ll make you,” you threatened jokingly, trying to lighten the mood in the room.   
And it seemed to have worked since the corner’s of Bucky’s lips turned up a little.   
“Oh, I’d like to see you try, doll,” Bucky smirked, and you hit his chest playfully. The atmosphere suddenly changed in the room, and it was evident to both Bucky and you what was going on.

Bucky’s hand caressed your cheek sweetly, and you leaned into his touch. The high-school you was cheering on in your brain, but you still didn’t know what your usual you thought of this. But when you licked your lips and glanced at Bucky’s, seeing he was doing the same, you knew you wanted this. He bowed down a little to be able to reach you, and his hand travelled from your cheek to the back of your neck. It was when your lips were almost touching that your phone rang loudly.   
You were both so startled by this interruption that you jumped away from each other, your hearts beating so hard you could hear it in your ears.   
Bucky coughed and rubbed the back of his neck to hide his embarrassment, and you felt your cheeks heating up due to the same feeling.   
You shook your head and ran to your phone to see who was calling. Max.   
“Your timing is impeccable as always, my dearest brother,” you scoffed into the phone, and you could hear the confusion on the other side of the line.   
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m just calling to see if the nurse gave you the message that I got held up at work? But also I§m calling to make sure you’re ok,” Max went on, and you smiled a little at how protective your brothers were.

“I’m fine, we’re fine. Although there is a lot that we need to discuss. Can you and the boys get in touch and come up with a day for all of us to meet as soon as possible? There are things in the contract I think you need to see,” you explained, and Max gave you an affirmative before he hung up.   
You turned to Bucky, aware that the air was now full of awkwardness, but before you could say anything, Bucky spoke up.   
“It’s really getting late, and we’ve had a hell of a day, so how about we call it a day, and continue with all this fun tomorrow, huh? I don’t think they’ll try anything over the night, and we can figure out what to do tomorrow morning,” Bucky rushed through it, and you inwardly chuckled at how unpleasant the situation really way.   
“Yeah, you’re right. So, goodnight, I guess,” you mumbled, and Bucky wished you goodnight as well before he almost ran up the stairs to his own bedroom.   
The weirdest thing on the whole situation was your own confusion. Even a month ago, you would push Bucky away had he tried to touch you like this. But today, you stood there, kinda wishing the phone hadn’t rung. And you didn’t know what to do with these newfound feelings battling inside of you.


	21. Strike Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet with the team for the last time before the big reveal, or at least you hope you do. And some people bring bearing interesting news.

When you woke up in the morning, there was a moment when you felt nothing. Absolutely nothing, and it was the most beautiful thing you have experienced in the last couple of weeks. There was no dread of the future and of what it might bring; there was no anxiety over your own actions and what you might cause by wreaking the havoc that you do; there was no fear of forgiveness, no fear of letting go and letting yourself be happy.   
You had struggled to come to grips with the idea of letting Bucky in, but whenever you were with him, it all came naturally. You couldn’t help it, or so it felt. All it took was a frown on his face, and you were worried, and when he smiled, you felt like smiling too. It all took you back a few years ago when you were both at high-school, and you had a massive crush on him.   
But that was then, and now everything was different. Now you were married to him, and while it might have seemed like something out of a dream, most of your marriage had spots of negativity all over it. Sure, the last few weeks were mostly positive, at least in case of your trust and overall feelings towards each other. You just weren’t sure it was enough for you to let go completely.

And when you started analysing your feelings from scratch, they all hit you like a truck. You took a deep breath in, trying to stop the panic attack that was knocking on the door of your mind from coming, but it was to no avail.   
Deep down, you had been fighting it for a long time, and you now felt like it had to come. Maybe it would clear the air somehow.   
It started from your hands: they felt numb but tense at the same time, and a spasm overtook your right hand, making it turn into some kind of a claw. Then came your eyes, which started hurting and pulsing, and it almost felt like they wanted to jump out of the sockets. But the worse was your lungs.   
It was as if there wasn’t enough oxygen in the world to fill them, and you were getting light-headed from the lack of it in your system. Inevitably, you started hyperventilating, trying to make up for the lack of it by this technique (even though it was very unconscious technique), but the longer you did that, the worse you felt.   
And so you did the only thing you knew to help you: breathe into a bag. You somehow got up from the bed and looked around the room until you found a brown paper bag you brought home a couple of days ago with your groceries. And you started breathing. You concentrated on the way it filled with your breath when you exhaled and emptied when you inhaled.   
After a while, you felt your heart-rate come down and your brain functioning normally again, and you knew it was the time to put the bag down. Your mind was clear again, even if all the worries were still there, present as ever. At least you didn’t feel like passing out anymore, and you took it as a good sign.   
—-

You knew having all those people over your place could be a bit risky. You still weren’t sure just how much obsessed with you your fathers were, and so having all your brothers, Bucky’s friends and lawyers and Tony could raise suspicion.   
And so you made a decision that you hoped would benefit all the parties. The studio you used to stay in while moved out of Bucky’s house was still your property, and because it was not in the greatest parts of New York, and because it should have been a place unknown to Roger and George, you decided upon meeting there.   
You sent out the address to all the people that should have met you there, took Bucky and set on the road to get the party started. And by a party, you meant the mission of taking down the fathers.   
Bucky could sense your nerves, and so when driving down the city, he took your hand in his and gently massaged it to give you a sense of calm until you got there. Neither of you spoke because neither of you knew what to say. You still hadn’t touched upon what had happened at night in your living room, and you weren’t entirely sure you wanted to delve into that.   
You had enough problems as was, let alone to try and open a wound you weren’t too sure would heal so easily. It was true that there was a shift in the atmosphere, and the two of you felt much more comfortable in each other’s company, but that wasn’t all.   
There was still a lot of explaining and healing to do if you wanted to give the relationship another chance, and even then you weren’t too sure if you would be able to trust Bucky fully again.   
But then you scolded yourself for such thoughts because what could have proved you that he was loyal, if not this particular situation? He could have easily run to the fathers, even if it would not have been to his greatest benefit, and tell them everything. Or, he could have thrown you under the bus any other way. But he didn’t. He was still there, holding your hand and trying to calm you down even though he was as anxious as you were.   
You knew that this conversation would have to take place one day, but this wasn’t the day. You needed to be in each other’s corner, and from the look of things, you knew you could count on Bucky. And he could count on you as well, you’d make sure he knew it.   
—-

The room was filled with low murmurs, and sideway glances the longer the silence continued. You weren’t sure how to start, and you were too anxious to stand up and speak up, so you tried to gather the last bits of courage to do so. But then you felt a movement beside you, and when you glanced to your right, you could see Bucky standing on his feet, his hands stuffed in his pockets awkwardly, and you had to smirk a little bit.   
He didn’t look like the big bad CEO anymore. He was just a guy, standing in front of people that, to the most part, weren’t his greatest fans, especially after learning what had happened between the two of you.   
The biggest culprits in this sense were your three brothers. They were all sitting there on the ground, arms crossed with unreadable expressions, and every time Bucky’s eyes wandered towards they seemed to have growled lowly at him as if they were some kind of animals.   
The fourth time they had done it after Bucky stood up, you had had enough.   
“Stop it,” you hissed their way, and it seemed to have woken them up from their trance. “One more unfriendly look towards Bucky and I’ll have all your asses, understood?” You added, and they all stared at you with disbelief written all over their faces.   
Bucky went to speak up, probably to tell you that it was ok, that it was understandable that your brothers still felt that way towards him, but you were having none of it. That you weren’t too sure what your future was with him was one thing, but you wouldn’t let them treat him like shit. Especially not in such a crucial moment.   
Neither of your brothers had courage enough to go against you, especially seeing you so confident in what you were saying, and while you could have been the weakest of the siblings, your determination definitely made up for that.

You gave Bucky a look that said that he could continue, and he gave you a grateful smile in rewards.   
“Alright. Thank you all for coming in such short notice. We, ugh, I… ehm, we are glad you’re here with us and very thankful that we can count on you and that you’re on our side. We really do appreciate it. So, to start, Tony, do you have what we asked of you?” Bucky asked cautiously, not really wanting to sound like a douche bossing everybody around. But he needed to be direct and lead this whole group of people. Well, mostly men, since you were literally the only woman in the room.   
Tony nodded and stood up, patting Bucky’s shoulder to let him know he was taking over now.   
“Yes. So, my people and I have looked into the business of your fathers, and we found out some nasty stuff. Not that I didn’t know about it before, but I honestly thought they stopped it after they almost drowned their own company. But, apparently, they don’t give a shit. Here are some photos as proofs, there are even transcriptions of the conversation inside, so that you could have the whole picture, but, basically, your fathers are addicted to gambling.   
Not that it wouldn’t be bad as is, but they gamble with the worst kinds of people of not only New York but Paris and Moscow as well. And that’s where the problem comes. A few years ago, when I helped them get the company back and paid off their debts, it was because they almost lost everything to this guy,” Tony paused and showed everybody a photo of a Russian oligarch.

“His name is Ivan Gregoryev, and he is the worst of the worst. He deals with white meat all over the Middle East as well as the North of Africa, and there is very little underground action without his fingers in it in Europe. And your fathers got with him, played with him a couple of times, and lost everything. If it wasn’t for me and my money, they would have been penniless and probably dead. Fortunately, they came to me asking for help, and because I thought we were friends, I gave it to them, under the condition of the two of them stepping out of the way. Fast forward to now, when I found out that they didn’t stop with their late-night activities, and are actually in close contact with Gregoryev again. But this time, it seems, they are too proud to ask for help, and I think they are running out of time and out of money, and that’s why they need Bucky to step away as soon as possible,” Tony finished, and the room was filled with a heavy silence.   
Nobody knew what to say. Sure, you knew Roger gambled, but this? The fact that they knowingly put their families in danger just because they loved cards too much? That was unfathomable to you!   
And it all made so much sense. They probably had a deadline to meet, and since they thought the two of you would be divorced by now, they didn’t have much time, nor did they have too much choice.

And it made your stomach clench even more. They were getting desperate, and you were worried about what this desperation might do with their brains. Because if they were so reckless as to make any kinds of deals with such a person, knowing that their families might come to harm, they were able to harm any of you as well.   
“So, what do we do to stop anything from happening?” Max asked clearly on edge, and when you looked up, you could see the same hooded expression in all your brothers’ eyes.   
“Well, since we have so much evidence to their actions and we know they are a harm to the company, we might be able to scratch them from any incomes from the company, and get rid of them, legally, of course. Since you were so lucky as to obtain the original contract in its completeness, it will take us only a few days to write a new contract, which, when signed by the majority of the board of Barnes&Nobles will be more legitimate than the one already existing, since there are so many problematic sections. Moreover, we even found a loophole to do that, so we just need time, and you’ll be free of them in this regard,” Bucky’s lawyer spoke up, and a little bit of that weight fell off your shoulders.   
“That’s great, really, but what are we gonna do with them after that? I mean, they’re both bastards, but are we gonna let that Russian guy kill them? Or kill one of us?” It was Thomas this time, who spoke up, and you all nodded your heads, realising the seriousness of the still pending dangers.   
“I mean, we could give the information to the police or even the fucking FBI, and they would deal with Gregoryev, and with your fathers as well,” Steve Rogers spoke up from the corner of the room.   
You knew him well, well, you used to know him well, and you knew Bucky and him were still really close, so it was no surprise to you when you saw him sitting in the room. He was Bucky’s comfort, his family in times of crisis, and you were glad Bucky had somebody like that to lean on.

You thought about what Steve said. It was true that it would have been for the best if all parties were stopped, you just didn’t know if everybody agreed with such a strategy. Roger might not have been your biological father, and you might have come to the conclusion that your life would be much better without him in it, but you didn’t know if your brothers thought the same. Or if Bucky thought the same about his own dad.   
But, to your surprise, there were appreciating hums around the room, most strongly coming from Bucky and Max.   
“That’s a good idea. I wouldn’t feel comfortable actually hurting them, as much as they’d deserve it, but I bet the FBI would love to see the contents of dad’s drawer, where he has all the blackmailing material for so many important people. I say we do what Steve said,” Max nodded, and you released a breath you didn’t even know you were holding.   
“Good! Let’s just wait till the contract is signed by the board, and since your fathers are accused by other members of fraud, we might take that as our loophole and go for it. We’ll let you know when we got it all, and then you will have all the power over Barnes&Clark, and you can go and arrest them,” the lawyer said, and you thanked him profoundly for taking care of the whole mess.   
Now, all you needed was to wait and not let them know what you were up to before you hit them like a train and finally deal with them the way they deserved. And then you could deal with your own personal life as well.


	22. Where There is a Will, There is a Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has come and you confront the fathers, with authorities by your side, and while you know what to do about the fathers, you have no idea what to do about Bucky.

The whole finalisation of the contract took a few more days, not that you expected anything else. Still, the nerves that it brought to you were almost out of this world, and you felt like your heart could jump out of its cage and run away forever. You spent the majority of your time alone in your room, ruminating over the whole thing and trying to come up with some good arguments for the big day.   
Bucky tried to come to you a few times, but he knew you needed to be left alone. Besides, his head was full of questions and doubts of his own with which he needed to deal alone as well. And so the two of you functioned as if the last few months didn’t happen. As if you were back in your loveless marriage where you used to go around each other as if the other was a ghost.   
But, the main difference was that there was very little animosity left between you two. Sure, there were some doubts, and the whole issue needed to be dealt with properly, when the time came, but you weren’t angry at him anymore.   
The rational part of your brain was strangely quiet when it came to Bucky. It used to pressure you to just break it off completely, that he slept with other women and that he didn’t even have the nerve to come and ask you for himself, trusting his father blindly. But you couldn’t blame him anymore. Bucky grew up thinking that his father was the most righteous person on Earth, so he had no reason to distrust him. And all things considered, you knew you didn’t act that much better. Sure, you didn’t have the need to sleep with anyone, but you never asked him either, and it wasn’t like you two actually had any real relationship at all, coming into the marriage.   
So, you just let it go until you had to deal with your actual feelings towards the whole situation. And that wasn’t now. Now was the time to deal with something more pressing, something that could determine not only your future.   
You had your mother’s blessing to do whatever you saw fit in order to bring justice to you and Bucky, as well as all the other people he blackmailed in the past. Your brothers were, obviously, on your side as well, so there was very little standing in your way.   
Now, all you had to do was wait. 

—-  
The day came when Bucky’s phone rang so loudly, you could have sworn you would remember it till the day you die. The look on Bucky’s face was clear enough, even without further explanation.   
“They’ve got it. Now, all we have to do is to bring some people in and just hit ‘em with all we know,” Bucky sighed as soon as he hung up.   
You released a shaky breath and hugged your arms, and before you could protest, you felt Bucky’s arms circling around you as well, stopping you from panicking too much. The reaction of your body was mind-blowing, especially regarding such a stressful situation. Your heartbeat returned back to normal in mere seconds, and your mind stopped whirling around. All would be good, your brain told you when it hit it that it was Bucky holding you, and you snuggled closer to get as much from the hug as you could.   
Bucky wasn’t thinking either when he hugged you, it seemed so natural to him, and when he finally realised what he had done, your own arms were wrapped so tightly around his torso that he would never admit it to you; he was afraid you’d reject such move from him. But all was well, at least for the tiniest amount of time. He, as well as you, knew that the shit was gonna go down, and both of you felt a slight change in the atmosphere. This was it. After all that, you two could be free and no longer had to think of your fathers when regarding your own lives.   
What that meant Bucky didn’t know, not really. He was too afraid to even entertain such thoughts as he kept cradling you, fighting off the gruesome images that his mind offered. He knew there was a possibility of some people getting hurt thanks to your fathers’ violent nature. He just hoped it wouldn’t be you. You needed to get away from this all, from Roger and from himself. It was what’s best for you. 

When you were able to untangle yourself from Bucky’s arms, you called everyone in question as well as the FBI agent you got in touch a day ago.   
You explained everything to him, telling him that you there was proof that your father held some sensitive information on the Deputy Chief of the NYPD, and he surprised you by telling you that they had been eying Roger and George for quite some while, especially for the activity connected to Gregoryev. But they never had anything tangible since Gregoryev had always been all too careful, so when you told him you had photos as well as some recordings, he looked like Christmas came early to the J. Edgar Hoover’s headquarters in New York.   
But you needed a little more to get them to prison forever, and long-night talks with Bucky provided you with just one such proof. It didn’t exist yet, but you were both pretty sure that it was going to happen. And after Bucky made some phone calls, he knew you two were right. So, now you just needed to catch them red-handed, and this nightmare would be over. At least you both hoped so.   
You sent your father a message saying that after a long fight with Bucky, the two of you would be leaving for Japan tomorrow morning because there was nothing for the two of you left in New York, and if he and George wanted to come by and bid their goodbyes, they were more than welcome to.   
The trap worked since not even 5 minutes went by, and you had a message there that they would meet you by the plane at exactly 9 AM. Your hands were clammy from all that stress, and you could hear your heart hammering against your ribcage, but willed your mind to take it easy because this would be over. Soon.   
—-

In the hangar, a silence enveloped you and Bucky standing by your side. You were both clutching each other’s hand, trying to keep each other sane and present. You knew you weren’t alone at the airport, but that did nothing to your nerves. Things could still have gone sideways in a mere second, and nobody would be able to help you then. But the thought that at least they’d be caught right there and then calmed your nerves.   
When you heard heavy footsteps, you cautiously turned around and saw Roger and George smirking and coming closer to you. The thought crossed your mind that there was not a piece of you that would regret the actions you have taken against these two, especially the one you considered your father for so long.   
You hated him with every fiber of your being, each cell screaming at you to run and scratch his eyes out, but you knew that the revenge would have to wait. The last piece of the puzzle had to be put in, and you all had to play your part for everything to go over smoothly.   
“Well, that’s a bit of a surprise that the two of you are going today, but if it makes you happy, we are happy too,” Roger started, and you could have sworn you vomited in your mouth a little. And from the tight grip on your hand, you assumed Bucky was on the same page with you. Happy my ass, you thought, but let it slide as you smiled meekly, trying to look like the good house-wife he tried to make of you. 

“Thank you for coming to say goodbye to us; it will be a while before we see each other, so we really appreciate it,” Bucky got out of himself, and, technically, nothing he said was a lie, so it really seemed natural when he nodded at your fathers who nodded back at him.   
“Well, of course, how could we miss the final flight of our favourite children?” Roger smiled overly sweetly, and all you did was scoff under your breath, which was something he must have expected because his smile widened seeing your reaction.   
“So, goodbye, we will take care of the company for you, don’t worry, James. And safe flight,” George smiled as well, and without further ado, you and Bucky walked out of the hangar towards the plane. You tried to remain calm as you walked towards the plane, hoping your plan would work. Bucky was holding your hand as if his life depended on it, and, in a sense, it did. The plan was simple but, hopefully, effective, and all you needed was a signal to do it. Roger and George watched the two of you get in and watched the door shut behind the two of you as their wicked faces widened with an obvious victory.

There was a clatter behind them, and so they both turned around to see what was happening there, only to find one of the janitors with his headphones on as he pushed away some cans with paint. They sighed in relief and heard the engine of the plane start as it got ready to get off, and at that very moment, Roger pulled out what looked like an old phone, and with a grin, pushed a button, which resulted in a huge blast. He knew he needed to let it blow down there because only then would the signal be strong enough.   
The janitor behind them fell to the ground as the blast surprised and scared the life out of him, and George and Roger shook their hands discretely before they put on scared faces as they began running towards what was left of the private jet now immersed in flames.   
But before they could get there alongside other airport personnel, two men in vests that read FBI stopped them with pointed guns.   
The fathers stopped in their tracks as they watched in horror as more agents surrounded them, just like the rest of their families, who must have been hiding somewhere in the back. But the biggest shock came when you and Bucky came to stand in front of them as well.   
“Surprise,” you grinned, and your father made the fatal fault of reacting in rage as he shrieked and ran towards you. But Bucky was faster than him, and before Roger could get to you, he caught his arm and slung him back on the ground. You knew your fathers weren’t armed, and so you asked the agents if they could hold off shooting them unless one or more agents were in danger. And, to your utter surprise, they listened to you and let you do your own thing before they took them in.   
Bucky couldn’t hold his anger in any longer as he punched Roger a few times before an agent tapped on his shoulder to let him know he couldn’t kill your father there in front of everyone. It was only after your soft “Buck” that he seemed to have woken up from his trans and let go of Roger’s now bloody face and stood back by your side.   
“What is going on? We saw the plane go in flames, and we wanted to help them when you guys showed up,” George rumbled, trying to seem like the good guy. But there was no friendly face around him, as he soon realised. 

“There’s no need to lie, dad. They have you on a tape showing that it was actually one of you who set off the bomb, which we actually found a couple of days ago because I realised what you two sick fucks wanted. It wasn’t enough that you wanted to send us away, no. You wanted us gone forever, isn’t that right? When your plan of making us divorce each other didn’t work, you thought, why not completely eliminate them? This way, the company would be yours again without you having to stick to the promise you gave Tony, and you still would be able to pay Gregoryev. Aaah, you thought you were so smart, didn’t you? Well, guess what? We’ve been onto you for quite some while now, and there is no way either of you is getting any with it, don’t worry,” Bucky winked at your fathers, and they both shuddered, both from anger and fear.   
“We won’t say anything without our lawyer here,” Roger spitted, and it was now your turn to laugh at him.   
“No need, daddy. We have all we need, even without your confession. Oh, but wait, you aren’t my dad, right? All these years that you made me feel incompetent and beat the shit out of me were just because you found out I wasn’t your daughter. Really classy, but what can I expect from a low-life like you? But killing two innocent people just because you needed money and wanted the power? That’s sick even for you, I gotta admit. When Bucky told me they found the bomb here, ready to be blown off when you gave the signal, there was a part of me that didn’t want to believe it. We weren’t sure our plan of distraction would work, but, fortunately, agent Fernandez here was pretty convincing in being the janitor so that we could jump out of the plane unseen and run to safety before you pressed the button. You know what, I thought I’d yell at you here, tell you all the things that had been on my heart this whole time, but you’re not worth my wasting of energy. You cost me more than a year of my life already, and I’m not gonna let you ruin a day more. So, enjoy jail, hope you rot there,” you waved at him and turned on your heel and walked out of there, feeling eyes on your back as your friends and family stared at you. 

But you couldn’t wait and see the rest of the show there. You’ve had enough of watching Roger and George squirm as they realised they finally got caught for all the shit they had done, topping it with trying to kill their children. You knew the company was better off without them, as were the families, and your heart was happy as was.   
You could hear the sirens as more cars came to take the two in and investigate the bomb properly, and you could hear the screaming as probably Adam or Thomas threw themselves at Roger, hitting him at least once before the FBI took him away. He deserved as much, you thought, walking down the lane.   
The only question left was the question of your heart. Would you want to stay with Bucky, or did the ship sail too long ago for the two of you to catch it now? You stood there, ruminating over the last year and something. All the heartbreak, all the tears, and the joyless months of your life played in front of your eyes, those memories sometimes too harsh even after the months that went by. And then the good ones came, and while there were scarce, they, in a sense, made you quite hopeful.   
But still, you didn’t know which to choose. Would it be better to just let him go, let the teenage dream of love go for something better, for a brighter future that might await you? Or should you have just turned around and try and forgive the man that proved to be one of the few people you could actually trust in this shitty situation? 

You could hear people yelling at you from the hangar, but you needed a moment more to decide. Because this was it, this was the decisive moment.   
And when your heart tugged in your chest, you suddenly knew what to do. You turned in the direction of your future and walked towards it. Be what may. 


	23. Alternate Ending: Life Without Bucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You decide that forgiveness is just not for you when it comes to Bucky and decide to start your life again.

_You could hear people yelling at you from the hangar, but you needed a moment more to decide. Because this was it, this was the decisive moment.  
And when your heart tugged in your chest, you suddenly knew what to do. You turned in the direction of your future and walked towards it. Be what may._

You could hear yelling in the distance, but your feet carried you away from the airport. You heard somebody running out, but you didn’t have the energy to turn around. You had been through so much this past year that you just didn’t want to conform anymore.   
“Y/N, stop,” you could hear Bucky, and willed your legs to halt. When he reached you, his hand landed on your shoulder, and he gently turned you around to find a sad smile on your face.   
“We made it. We finally got them. Why aren’t we celebrating?” He smiled hopefully down at you, and you just shook your head and took a step back. You could see his own smile faltering as realisation dawned on him, and while it felt like somebody stuck a needle into your heart, you knew deep down this was the right decision for both of you.   
“Is there anything I can do to change your mind?” Bucky whispered, knowing that your mind was set but tried it one last time. He knew he had no right to beg you to stay, to give you promises and try and be the better man. It was a bit too late for that, and he fully realised it. That, of course, didn’t mean that he wasn’t shattered.   
It was too late that he found out the feelings he had for you as a teenager were still there and that he didn’t want to lose you. He wanted to cherish you, wanted to love you the way you deserved, but the problem was that he didn’t deserve a girl like you.   
You were too good for him, and he knew that. He just wished he could turn back the time and see through the manipulation early on so that he could salvage the relationship. But now it was too late, and he could see it written all over your face. But it was your eyes that almost brought him to his knees. They were calm and content, ready to start your life anew, without him in it. 

“I’m sorry, Bucky, but I think we both knew this wasn’t gonna last. I mean, we managed to put our fathers away, and I will never be able to thank you enough for trusting me and standing by my side this whole time. You were great, truly. I’m not a heartless monster, and sure, there were moments that I could see our future together, but let’s be honest with one another for a while. What would our future look like, huh?   
We wouldn’t be able to get over the year we have lost together, the year that tore us both apart. I think we should remain friends and keep it on that base. I honestly don’t think that we can stop seeing each other altogether. We have too much history to just cut each other of our lives,” you smiled at him and hoped to see your sentiments mirrored in his face, but all you could see was a broken-hearted man losing his ground.   
Your heart clenched once more, but you couldn’t give in. Your decision still stood unshaken, even if your heart was a little sentimental piece of shit.   
“I know you’re right, but you just gotta give me some time to fall out of love with you, Y/N,” Bucky mumbled, and you blinked back the tears threatening to fall from your eyes.   
“But,” he continued when he was sure his voice wouldn’t betray his emotional state, “I insist that you take some position at the company. It is yours as much as it is mine, and I think that it would be for the best if you were there with me, it wouldn’t feel right otherwise. Please?” He begged, and the tears had no barrier holding them in anymore.   
This was all you wanted. Being appreciated and in the company you loved so much, that was the dream.   
“Yeah, yes! That would be… oh God, Bucky, that would be perfect. I could come home,” you managed to say as you ran to him and hugged him. He hugged you back, feeling this could be the last time he had you in his arms in this way, and he wanted to salvage the sensation.   
“Alright, so, ehm, I’ll leave you to it, and we’ll discuss the details on Monday, in the office?” He asked as he stepped away from you, creating the much-needed space so that his head could get right again. 

You nodded gratefully and remembered there was one more thing you needed from him.   
“I know it seems like I’m acting too fast, but could you maybe sign the divorce papers as well? I think we both need the finalisation of this decision so that we can both move on,” you tried to sound as confident as you could muster, and Bucky just nodded and smiled sadly at you.   
“Sure. Bring the papers to the office on Monday, and I’ll sign them then and there, just like I promise I would. Thank you for sticking with me during this, Y/N. I’m glad we could, at least, save some parts of our friendship. So, see you,” he waved at you as he stumbled backward and went back to where the FBI agents were putting the fathers into their car and driving them away from you forever. 

_Monday morning_

Walking inside the building had a different feel suddenly. You weren’t out of place, no. You knew you belonged there and that there was somebody in the leading position that thought so as well. You knew Bucky wouldn’t let you down, not again, and because he insisted on having you there, you were positive that you would finally get the position you wanted.   
Even the unpleasant receptionist greeted you with a smile and some mumbled apologies about her previous behaviour, saying she wasn’t feeling well and that it had nothing to do with you. You knew that she was bitchy because he wanted Bucky or something like that but couldn’t bother teaching her a lesson. You just nodded and told her that because you might be seeing a lot more of each other, how about you kept it friendly? To which she just nodded gratefully, and you both went your own ways.   
Bucky’s eyes shot up when you knocked on his door, and he beckoned you in that very second. You could see that a lot has already changed there, the fathers’ offices being cleaned out as you were walking by, their things being sent to the FBI just in case.   
“Welcome, thank you so much for coming,” Bucky smiled at you as you sat on the opposite side of the desk. You silently handed him the divorce papers, which he delicately in his hands and went through it, sighing every so slightly before he got to the part where it said: Sign here, and he took the blue pen from the table and without further ado, gave you what you wanted. It didn’t matter that he would have fought for you, you lost that right a long time ago, and the long weekend before Monday morning made him realise that. Well, the weekend, as well as Steve, who tried to get it through his best friend’s head that they both needed a fresh start.   
“Here you go,” he tried to smile, but even he felt how fake it must have looked. But it was done, and that was the main thing, so you thanked him again and put the papers back into your purse.   
“Now, let’s talk business,” Bucky said and pulled out a bunch of folders full of papers. Your eyes went a little wide at that, but you were more than ready to take on any job Bucky offered to you.

After a lengthy discussion, you both agreed that it would be best if you went and oversaw the Japan publishing house. Sure, it was in Japan, and you wouldn’t know anyone there, but it was temporary, and it would give you a good idea of how the company worked, and you’d still be a huge part of the success of the company. Alongside that, you would take place on the board, which was already agreed on by the board itself, and when you came back, you could have another job that you and Bucky would agree on later.   
It seemed like the best possible solution for both of you. For Bucky, he needed somebody he trusted there because the deal was already signed, and there wasn’t a way to step away from it. Also, he needed to take a step from you. He knew it was more than logical to have you in the firm, but he needed a little bit of time to get over you. He didn’t even realise it back when he had you, but you had a significant impact on his life, and he needed to learn to live without you.   
As for you, you were over the moon with the proposal. It would be your responsibility, and you would have the main word about what was going to happen in Japan, and you needed that mainly as an ego-boost and proof that you still had it in you to be a major part of the company. Also, not seeing Bucky and let the past be past sounded like a fine plan.   
So, you shook hands on it, singed too many papers, and you were on your way. Before you could go, Bucky’s voice stopped you through.   
“Are you sure? About everything, I mean? Will you be alright?” He asked, his voice laced with concern.   
“I’ll be fine. We both will, Bucky. We deserve this; the company is ours, and so are our lives. We needed it, and we got it, so let’s enjoy it,” you said with a cheery smile and left the office, feeling as if you were on cloud nine. 

The last year taught you a great lesson, one of pain, struggle, and heartbreak, but also about your own strength and courage. You valued everything it had given you, and you were ready for the new chapter of your life to start. The excitement was palpable as you left the building, almost running to your apartment to pack up and finally get what life had to offer with all its beauties and without anybody’s shadow looming over you. You chose happiness, and you were content with your choice because you knew it was the right one for a joyful future, with Bucky solely as your friend and colleague. 


	24. Alternate Ending: Life With Bucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your heart just can’t let go of Bucky, and so you give him (and yourself) one more chance at love.

_You could hear people yelling at you from the hangar, but you needed a moment more to decide. Because this was it, this was the decisive moment.  
And when your heart tugged in your chest, you suddenly knew what to do. You turned in the direction of your future and walked towards it. Be what may._

You turned around so abruptly your head almost spun, and you needed to take a second to stabilise yourself because it really wasn’t the plan to fall on your ass from simply turning. So, when you felt sure that your stupid body wouldn’t act out, you walked back to the hangar.  
You could see the fathers in handcuffs led towards the cars surrounded by so many FBI agents one could think they were taking done some prolific terrorists or something like that. And, when you thought of it, they actually were just that. What kind of a deranged person would threaten people with their own secrets or try and get their own (in some cases) children? You shook your head again, thinking just how low some people were willing to go when it came to money and power.  
You were all too aware that the capitalist society around you pushed many, if not most, to do just that: disregarding human relationships as just another market exchange, while objects and money have acquired so much power over people’s thought that you were pretty sure most of you were already lost. But that was a problem you couldn’t solve, and definitely not as you were walking towards sad-looking Bucky and your brothers.  
They didn’t speak to you as you walked away at first, probably wanting to give you space to think, knowing just how difficult the decision you were making must have been for you. But as you came closer, Thomas couldn’t hold back anymore and ran to you, spinning you in his arms and whispering praise at how happy he was you managed to get out. Well, that and when he was done, he put you down and started reprimanding you, which was when Max and Adam joined him as well.  
“Have you lost your fucking mind? You could have been killed, you idiot,” Max roared as he came closer, and you rolled your eyes at him and his dramatic demeanour.  
“Don’t you fucking roll your eyes at him, Y/N! Do you realise how dangerous this was? What if the rouse with the janitor didn’t work out, huh? What if they didn’t turn around and you wouldn’t be able to get out of the plane? Have you even thought of anything else than catching them?” Adam joined, and you huffed and swore under your breath before a punch to your shoulder took you by surprise. Thomas was standing there, ready to strike you again if you swore or rolled your eyes at your brothers again.  
It wasn’t that the punch hurt, not at all, but it surprised you, and you rubbed the shoulder in mocked pain.

“How about we all calmed down, huh? I’m alive, we both are, and I think that’s what’s important, don’t you? Why do you concentrate on what-ifs when I’m right here, talking to you while Roger and George are on their way to jail?” You asked as you came to yourself and looked them all dead in the eyes.  
“Because we could have lost you, you maniac! We love you, and we were worried about you, that’s why! Fuck, what would you do seeing us in such a situation? Oh, wait, we wouldn’t get in such a situation because we aren’t stupid,” Max roared, and this roused Bucky from somewhere behind them.  
He wanted to give you and your brothers some space and time to talk to each other and what he thought would be a little celebration, but the opposite happened. Bucky wanted to save you from them the second Thomas’ fist stroke your shoulder, but Adam saw his move and gave him a glare, which made Bucky stop in his tracks. Not that he was afraid of your brothers, but he didn’t want to get between them and you if it wasn’t completely necessary. But when Max started yelling again, Bucky just couldn’t take it.  
“I was there with her, so why don’t you yell at me as well, huh?” Bucky said as he stepped next to you, his bigger physique standing in the way of your brother’s potential punches. You smirked ever so slightly as you saw Bucky’s protective nature.

“Oh, don’t worry, we’d get to you, idiot number two. How in the hell did you let her do it? I thought you came back to yourself and that you didn’t want anything to happen to her, yet, here you are, pretty much making her jump out of a flaming plane,” Max continued, obviously taking on the role of the family’s leader as he yelled at you the most, while the two others stood there like his personal bodyguards. You wanted to laugh at that image, but you knew the bruises you’d have weren’t worth it.  
“There wasn’t any other way to do it since we found out the bomb and needed to catch them in the act. Might have been stupid, but she is alive, and that is the only fucking thing that matters to me, so how about you stop yelling your head off and just hug your sister and tell her how happy you are she is ok, instead of being a world-class jerk?” Bucky screamed back, and it obviously wants something Max expected, since his brows shot up to his hairline, as he stared in Bucky in disbelief. But something obviously clicked in that bullhead of his because after a while, he pushed Bucky aside and pulled you in a bear hug, kissing the crown of your hair affectionately.  
“I’m fine, I promise. I’m sorry I scared you, but we really thought this was the only way to do it. I don’t plan on doing anything so stupid anytime soon, so you can stop worrying,” you smiled into his shoulder, and Max laughed at your words.  
“Right, I feel like you’re doing something stupid already since you came back, am I right?” He smirked when he pulled away, and you trained your eyes on the ground, feeling your cheeks heating up as you were caught in the act.

“Shut up,” you mumbled as you heard the huron laughs from all three of them. You knew they have already eased up on Bucky since they didn’t beat the shit out of him, although that was probably still coming, considering all the shit you have been through at the beginning. But you knew they wouldn’t kill him as they were standing there, relaxed and ok with your evident decision, which was evident only to the four of you as Bucky stood there with his eyes trained on you, looking like a scared deer.  
“Could you maybe go and laugh somewhere else? I need to talk to Bucky,” you screeched at them, and they all waved at you mockingly but actually did what you wanted from them. You watched them walk away far enough that you were sure they wouldn’t hear your conversation with Buck before you started talking. But before you could start, Bucky turned to you and beat you to it.  
“Look, Y/N, I know what you want to say, and I know that I have no right to try and tell you what to do or how to decide, but I swear I can be better for you. There is no reason for you to give this, us, a second chance, but I’m begging you to give us another chance. Please, don’t push me away,” he almost whispered the last part, and had you not been standing so close to him, you would have heard him.  
“Bucky, you think I came back to tell you that I was giving up? If I chose to continue my life without you in it, I wouldn’t have turned around. I would have kept walking forwards and away from here. But I thought about it a lot lately, and I can’t just not know, you know? I don’t want to wake one day and ask myself what could have been if I didn’t walk away from the airport that they. I cannot promise you anything, Buck, but I think we both deserve a second chance at this,” you smiled softly at him as the realisation dawned on him that you were there to stay.

He laughed cheerfully and took you in his arms, unable to contain himself as he hugged you tightly to his body and just breathed you in. This was the moment he didn’t even dare to dream about. He thought you would come, tell him that you just couldn’t see him anymore because of everything he put you through and would be gone. But here you were, safe in his arms and giving him another chance to prove that he was the right one for you.  
Bucky swore to himself and the universe that this time he wouldn’t screw up. He would be there for you no matter what, would always trust you, and ask you first before making any decision that would include you. Fuck, he would bring you the whole sky if you asked him for it. That’s how much he needed and loved you. Yes, Bucky loved you too much for his own good, and he was damning himself for not realising sooner. But he was given another chance at love, and he was ready this time.  
And as for you, it felt right to be in Bucky’s arms. It felt safe, which was something you didn’t know at the beginning of your relationship. You knew you were safe from Roger, but also safe from the old James, the one who wouldn’t believe you even if you actually said something, and you were honestly too pissed at yourself for not speaking up about it before the party at your house. You knew it was something you had to address as well, but that all could wait.  
Bucky pulled away slightly, but still holding you so that his dream wouldn’t evaporate into thin air.  
“Thank you, Y/N, thank you so much. I promise I will earn your trust and your love, and that I’ll always treat you the way you deserve,” he smiled, and you could see he had a hard time holding all the emotion in. You still couldn’t understand how this man who wore his heart out on his sleeve could have been the same as the one a few months ago, but you pushed that thought away.

“I know, Bucky, that’s why I came back because I think we can be so good for each other; we just need a clean slate. We will need to go to therapy together because we need a professional overseeing us if we want to get through this together, but I really do think we can make it,” you grinned at him, and without thinking, Bucky pulled your face closer to his and kissed you.  
It was sudden and quick, but it made your heart beat faster than even running from a bomb, and you thought that was a good sign. You didn’t want it to end, and so when you felt Bucky pulling away, your hand shot up to his hair, and you held him a little longer, to which he just smiled and relented.  
“Anything you want, doll, anything. Oh, which reminds me, you should come back to the company. I know you father thought you weren’t good enough, or that you were a woman or whatever, but I think you’d be a great asset to the whole firm, and we would be fortunate to have you,” Bucky added with a sparkle in his eye that showed just how happy you have made him by agreeing to staying and giving him a chance.  
Your own face lit up as well at the concept, not even having time to giving such an idea any thought.  
“Really? I mean, I would understand if you wanted it all to yourself after what those two did to it,” you thought out loud, but Bucky just shook his head.  
“You belong there, and I should have realised this much sooner, doll. The company is yours just as it is mine, and we can talk about the details later. I just wanted to tell you that it would make me and I bet the whole board very happy to have you back. I remember how much you loved it and what great ideas you used to bring to the table, so, if you’re still up for it, I think you should come back,” he beamed, and you mirrored his facial expression.  
Your life started to look the way you wanted to, after so much misery, and you kinda thought this whole thing was a gift for you; after all you had to go through. And you weren’t ready to give the gift away, since it brought you so much happiness in the last few minutes.  
“We’ll talk about it later, but I would love to come back. So, we will be dating and working together? You don’t mind seeing this face all day, every day?” You asked him with a challenge in your voice, but Bucky just chuckled and took your hand in his, kissing the top before he let your hands move between your bodies.  
“Nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing you all the time, Y/N. Now, let’s go home. I think we could both use some quality sleep,” Bucky wiggled his brows, and you giggled at his behaviour.  
This felt right. More than right.

THE END


End file.
